NHTSA Complaint #10054234 — 1998 FORD ESCORT

ON DECEMBER, 17TH, IN THE EVENING, MY HUSBAND WAS ON ROUTE 20, IN MARLBOROUGH, MA. HE HAD MADE A WRONG TURN AND WAS GOING 2 MPH, DOING A K-TURN, WHEN BOTH THE AIRBAGS IN HIS 1998 FORD ESCORT INFLATED. HE HAS A STANDARD SHIFT CAR. AT THE TIME OF THE FAULTY INFLATION, AS HE WAS STRUCK BY THE AIRBAG IN THE HEAD, HIS FEET CAME OFF THE PEDALS AND THE CAR STALLED, ROLLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HITTING A CURB. WE ARE VERY LUCKY THAT HE WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THESE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. HAD HE NOT MADE THE WRONG TURN, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY. AT A SPEED OF 65 MPH ON ROUTE 495, I DON'T BELIEVE HIS OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD, AFTER THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. HE SUFFERS STILL FROM NECK AND BACK PAIN FROM THE INCIDENT. THE IMPORTANT POINT TO NOTE HERE IS THAT HE DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. THE AIRBAGS JUST DEPLOYED ON THEIR OWN, WHILE HE WAS DRIVING. WE CALLED FORD THE NEXT DAY TO REPORT THIS. THEY SAID THAT SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT US WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. TWO AND A HALF WEEKS WENT BY, AND NO ONE CALLED. MY HUSBAND CALLED FORD AGAIN. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. MY HUSBAND THEN CALLED OUR LOCAL FORD DEALER. A REGIONAL REP. WAS GOING TO BE AT THAT LOCATION THE FOLLOWING DAY. HE CALLED US, STATING THAT WITHIN A FEW DAYS FORD WOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH US. A FEW DAYS WENT BY, AND HE TOLD US THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO, WE HAD TO FILE CERTAIN PAPERWORK FIRST BEFORE FORD WOULD TALK TO US. THE PAPERWORK ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY. IT REQUESTS SUCH THINGS AS "COMPLETE HISTORY OF OIL CHANGES AND ANY WORK PERFORMED ON THE CAR". IT IS A GENERIC FORM, NOT APPLICABLE TO FAULTY AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. I AM WRITING TO YOU BECAUSE I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR LACK OF CARING ABOUT CONSUMER PROTECTION. WHAT FORD SHOULD HAVE DONE, WAS TO IMMEDIATELY TAKE POSSESSION OF THE CAR FOR AS LONG AS THEY NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHY THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. FORD APPARENTLY HAS NO INTEREST IN ASSESSING THE REASON FOR THE FAULTY AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *CB