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Court Okays Class Action Against Ford/Firestone

November 30, 2001

Sacramento - Lawyers for Ford Motor Co. and Firestone Tire were dealt a severe blow Wednesday when federal court Judge Sarah Evans Barker gave the nod to class action suits against their companies. The move provides millions of people who owned or leased a Ford Explorer equipped with Firestone ATX, ATX II, Firehawk ATX, ATX 23 Degree, Widetrack Radial Baja and Wilderness tires with the right to claim damages for faulty tires and vehicle design.

Both Ford and Firestone said they would appeal the decision, which if upheld on appeal, could include millions of people and untold amounts of money.

Thus far, NHTSA attributes 271 deaths and over 800 injuries to accidents involving the combination of the Firestone tires and the Ford Explorer. Both companies have argued for over a year that each has no culpability in the case, each blaming the other for having a defective product.

There was no word on when the appeal hearing might be held.