Jury Labels Chrysler Grossly Negligent

02/20/96

Reuters reported that a Boston jury has ruled that Chrysler must pay Paul Santos $19 million because the corporation was grossly negligent when designing the brakes in their 1986 Voyager. Santos' wife and three children were killed on a highway in New Hampshire when their Voyagers brakes locked up and the van spun out of control. The fatal accident happened in 1990.

The jury rejected what was reported to be Chrysler's argument: that Santos was speeding and her windshield wipers were broken, possibly hampering her vision. The brakes were designed such that a tiny misadjustment or a maintenance problem can prohibit front and rear brakes from locking at the same time as they should.

The same Brake design was between 1984 and the early 1990's for both the Dodge Caravan and the Chrysler Town and Country.

In a more recent report, Reuters said that Chrysler announced that it may appeal the ruling. Chrysler sold more than 4 and a half million minivans between 1984 and 1995. The automaker is currently replacing rear door latches on the vehicles because of consumer fears that the latch may fail during a rear-impact collision. 1996 mini-vans now come equipped with anti-lock brakes.

Chrysler has not declared whether it intends to appeal the decision.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel