Ford Recalls 129,000 Cars Because of Wheel Hazard

By John Cooper, Norfolk, VA Accident Injury Attorney

There can be few more alarming scenarios than a wheel falling off your car when you are driving at 60 mph on the Interstate.

But that’s the life threatening concern raised by the recall of 129,000 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans, according to the New York Times. Ford has recalled almost 129,000 of its 2010-11 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans. The automotive giant says the wheel studs on vehicles equipped with 17-inch steel wheels could break, with the alarming potential of a wheel coming loose and falling off.

The recall is detailed on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the New York Times, Ford informed the safety agency about a problem in August 2010, when some wheel studs fractured at a lug-nut tightening at the plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, where the sedans were built.

Although there is no evidence of this defect causing injuries, as Norfolk, VA based accident injury attorneys who represent people injured in car accidents, we are concerned about the potentially deadly implications of this fault. The automobile industry has an unenviable record of recalls and faults. Some of these have led to serious injuries and deaths.

See this video about defects in Toyotas.

In July 2011, a leaking fuel line from a new Chevrolet Traverse claimed the life of a sailor from Moyock, NC on the I-64 in Norfolk.

Toyota has made a number of major recalls and wrongful death lawsuits are pending claiming victims were killed by sudden and unexpected acceleration in Toyotas.

In 2009 a flaw in the design of a gas pedal may have been linked to the death of a family of four in a Lexus

If a manufacturer is to blame because of a defect, there are grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit or a personal injury lawsuit.

The Norfolk based personal injury law firm, Cooper Hurley, handles automobile, truck, and motorcycle injuries. John Cooper and Jim Hurley have over 40 years of combined experience in handling auto injury accident claims. Attorney John Cooper has been named to Virginia “Super Lawyers” since 2010. Cooper Hurley represents people hurt in accidents in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News and throughout VA, and always put the best interests of the our clients first.. The firm is recognized by other lawyers as “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, a national attorney rating service, for our top level of legal skill and highest ethical standards. If you need help or advice about a serious injury, please call us ( 757) 455 -0077 or contact through this website.