Ford Rollover Accidents: The New York Times, "Lawsuit Documents and a Study Raise Questions on the Safety of Ford Explorer Roofs"

         The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen released a study on Wednesday that accuses Ford of ignoring evidence that stronger roofs would lead to fewer injuries. Also on Wednesday, a plaintiffs' lawyer in several prominent rollover lawsuits said he had obtained internal Ford documents that show that several years ago the company rebuffed assertions from its Volvo subsidiary that stronger vehicle roofs prevent injuries and deaths in rollover accidents.
         In 1999, Ford purchased Volvo, the Swedish automaker known for producing some of the safest vehicles on the road. In addition, documents connected with a trial this year involving Ford show that the automaker decided not to strengthen roof supports on the Explorer, a sport utility vehicle, although engineers at the company recommended the change.
          The study criticizes the auto industry's commitment to safety, noting at one point that while car companies have said roof strength has nothing to do with injuries in rollovers "they routinely add roll bars to their test vehicles to ensure that roofs don't crush test drivers in the event of a rollover accident." Consumer groups, which have long lobbied for tougher rollover standards, say that roof collapse is the leading cause of death in rollovers.