Opinion ID: 2529268
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Negligent Fuel Tank Location

Text: ¶ 12 Plaintiffs' expert Mark Arndt was critical of the fuel system in all aft-of-axle tanks, including both the under the trunk and vertical-behind-the-axle locations because they failed to maintain fuel system integrity during a crash. Specifically, he stated that the aft-of-axle tank was defective because it was located in the crush zone in rear-impact collisions and was vulnerable to being punctured by trunk contents and vulnerable to being pushed into sharp objects in front of the tank. It was his opinion that trunk contents puncturing the tank was a well-recognized problem. He testified that the safest location for the fuel tank for a fair amount of time was forward of the axle. Alternatively, locating the tank over the axle would significantly reduce the crush from a rear-end collision. ¶ 13 In forming his opinions, Arndt relied on several factors including basic engineering design concepts with regard to designing products generally. He testified that design safety involves considerations to design-out a problem by eliminating the hazard. If the hazard cannot be completely eliminated, then the product should be shielded to minimize the hazard, and if shielding or guarding is not effective, then warnings should be provided about the nature of the danger or potential harm that could occur. Ford taught these basic engineering principles in its own class on fuel systems engineering and these principles were outlined in its class manual beginning in 1991.