Canada-Wide Class Action Launched regarding Many Ford Vehicle Models

CALGARY, April 3, 2013 /CNW/ - Merchant Law Group LLP has launched Canada-wide class action litigation today seeking millions in financial compensation and safety repairs for Ford vehicle owners. This class action affects 30 popular Ford vehicle models, from various manufacturing years, a list of which is available at https://www.merchantlaw.com/classactions/ford_accel.php

The litigation launched today is the first Ford Sudden Acceleration Class Action in Canada.  Ford Sudden Acceleration Class Actions are similarly being pursued in the United States. As of last week, class action lawsuits regarding this matter have been launched in various American states.  Further details of US litigation is available at http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/03/28/ford-class-action-throttle-control-unintended-acceleration/2000861/

In December 2012, Toyota Motor Company announced a class action settlement worth $1.1 billion to settle US lawsuits involving Toyota sudden acceleration issues.

"Reports of unintended accelerations in Ford vehicles increased significantly in 2002, when Ford began installing their electronic throttle control system in a broad range of its vehicle lines.  Electronic throttle control system equipped vehicles are sometimes referred to as "throttle-by-wire" or "drive-by-wire" because the electronic throttle control system has no mechanical linkage between the accelerator pedal and the throttle plate in the engine. Sudden or runaway acceleration occurs when the throttle opens contrary to the driver's intentions.    Consequently, most automobiles provide an electronic or mechanical fail-safe to allow the driver to bring the vehicle safely under control when faced with sudden acceleration.  Ford has failed to provide such a fail-safe on any of the affected Ford vehicles equipped with the electronic throttle control system. These vehicles share a common design defect in that they lack adequate fail-safe systems, including a reliable Brake Over Accelerator ("BOA") system (also sometimes referred to as a Brake Override System) that would allow a driver to end sudden unintended acceleration by depressing the brake." stated Tony Merchant, Q.C., regarding the Canadian Ford Sudden Acceleration Class Action litigation being handled by his law firm.

"Ford vehicle owners who have contacted our law firm are rightfully concerned about acceleration safety issues and lower resale values for their Ford vehicles."

Merchant Law Group LLP, a leading Canadian class action firm, has offices in 12 cities across Canada, from Montreal to Victoria.  Merchant Law Group LLP and Tony Merchant Q.C. are well known for pursuing class action lawsuits in Canada including litigation regarding GM Gasket Manifolds, Hip Implants, Maple Leaf Foods, Vioxx, and Residential Schools, and various other cases. Tony Merchant is known to be one of Canada's most active litigators with more than 600 reported cases in leading Caselaw Journals, having argued thousands of cases before the Canadian and American Courts, in Trial and Administrative Courts, and the Courts of Appeal of various American and Canadian jurisdictions, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Tony Merchant, Q.C., has a long history in pursuing public policy cases and is a former elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.)

For more information on the Ford Sudden Acceleration Class Action, please visit: https://www.merchantlaw.com/classactions/ford_accel.php

SOURCE: Merchant Law Group

For Media inquiries, please contact Tony Merchant Q.C., at 888-567-7777

For Francophone inquiries, please contact our Montreal office, at 514-248-7777 or [email protected]