Opinion ID: 1303321
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the vehicle

Text: Kroeger purchased a new 1986 Ford Taurus automobile on January 8, 1986, from Atchley Ford in Omaha. The Taurus was manufactured by the appellee, Ford. Kroeger began experiencing mechanical problems with the vehicle almost immediately. She took the car back to Atchley on several occasions for repairs. After each repair, Kroeger testified, she was assured by Atchley that the car had been repaired, that nothing was wrong with the car when she brought it in, or that whatever she was complaining of either could not be repaired or constituted a regular characteristic of the Ford Taurus. After 4 months and several repairs by Atchley mechanics, Kroeger began experiencing problems with the power steering belts. Kroeger complained to the mechanics at Atchley that something was cutting or breaking the power steering belts and that when Kroeger executed a right turn in the vehicle, she would have to pull hard on the steering wheel to get it to come back after the turn. Various mechanics at Atchley adjusted and replaced the power steering belts on several occasions. They also replaced the pulley at least twice and attempted to adjust the pulley and align it with the power steering belts. During this period of time, Atchley mechanics also performed numerous other repairs, including aligning the front end and repairing the brakes, catalytic converter, air conditioner, and dashboard lights. Despite the repeated trips to Atchley, Kroeger continued to experience problems with her car. In October 1986, when the car had been driven approximately 12,000 miles, Kroeger began taking the vehicle to McFayden Ford for service. During the month of October, McFayden's mechanics performed a number of repairs on Kroeger's Ford Taurus, including checking and adjusting various belts and disassembling the steering wheel to service the cruise control. On November 18, McFayden's mechanics installed a new power steering rack. One of Kroeger's expert witnesses, Roy Burdick, concluded that whoever replaced the steering rack hadn't finished his job and sent the car out with what I would say [was] faulty workmanship. Burdick believed, among other things, that the mechanics had reassembled the vehicle improperly using air wrenches instead of torque wrenches. He believed that McFayden's mechanics had failed to tighten various bolts and locknuts, creating a dangerous condition. In late November, the car began making a clunking noise under the hood. Kroeger's husband, Robert Kroeger, opened the hood while his brother-in-law turned the steering wheel. Kroeger's husband saw the engine move from side to side. He contacted McFayden, which sent two mechanics, Keith Kruse and Robert Fredlund, to pick up the vehicle. Kruse testified in his deposition that he heard the clunking noise and saw the unusual movement of the engine. The vehicle was taken back to McFayden, where the mechanics tightened some of the bolts and replaced the power steering belts and the pulley.