Opinion ID: 2529268
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Ford's Evidence

Text: ¶ 52 After the circuit court denied its motion for a directed verdict on all grounds of negligence, strict liability, and punitive damages, Ford presented countering documentary evidence and testimony. Ford's primary theory was that its conduct in locating the fuel tank vertically behind the axle was not unreasonable, as it was in the best location for that vehicle considering the overall design of the vehicle and that changing the location would reduce the effectiveness of other desirable attributes of the vehicle. ¶ 53 In support of its theory, Ford introduced evidence that it met all relevant safety standards with regard to fuel integrity, that it did not violate the standard of care in the industry, and that the fuel tank puncture by the pipe wrench was such a rare, unique, and unforeseeable occurrence that no manufacturer could anticipate or design against such an occurrence. Ford presented evidence that prior to the time of sale, no Panther platform vehicle was ever subject to punctures from trunk contents. Further, prior to the Jablonski accident, no civilian vehicle was ever subject to a fuel tank puncture. Millions of Ford Panther platform vehicles had been driven for years with a small incidence of postcrash fires. ¶ 54 Ford's experts opined that there is no optimum fuel tank location for all vehicles. Rather, the design of a fuel system depends upon the design of the overall car structure and considerations regarding impacts from various directions. It was their opinion that it is important to consider that the body-on-frame design of the Panther platform has different package space and different strengths that interact with the location of the fuel tank. These qualities make the location of the tank for that car different from what might be the best location for a front-wheel drive, unit body, or smaller car. If the fuel tank were moved in the Panther platform vehicles to the forward-of-the-axle location, the body-on-frame construction and rear-wheel drive would have to be eliminated, making it a totally different car. In the defense experts' opinion, the vertical behind-the-axle tank was the best and safest design for the 1993 Lincoln Town Car and provided the most protection from all types of crashes. ¶ 55 Ford introduced statistical data including data indicating that 99.9993% of all Town Cars made from 1992 to 2001 had never been involved in a fatal rear-end collision with fire. Similarly, considering all Panther platform vehicles made in that same 10-year period, 99.9993% had never been involved in a fatal rear collision with fire. By 2003, there were about 15 million vehicles still on the road that were manufactured in 1993 with aft-of-axle tanks. With respect to the other 416 accidents introduced by plaintiffs, Ford's experts indicated that none were relevant to consider because they were cars of a different era, built to different safety standards and performed differently in a crash.