Mercury Mountaineer Rollovers and Mazda Navajo Rollover Legal Assistance

Mercury Mountaineer and Mazda Navajo rollovers and rollover safety concerns have been in the public spotlight almost daily since 2000 when the Ford Explorer - Firestone tire tread separation roll over accident problem was revealed. The Mercury Mountaineer and Mazda Navajo are essentially a Ford Explorer with a different trim package and logo. Like the Explorer, hundreds of deaths in the U.S. have been blamed on a faulty design that creates an instability in the Mercury Mountaineer and Mazda Navajo vehicles. The rollover instability problem of Mercury Mountaineers and Mazda Navajos have resulted in many drivers unable to control the vehicle in emergency situations, especially after a tire blowout or sudden deflation from a tire tread separated resulting in a rollovers.

The Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer and Mazda Navajo are in a class of their own in regards to the large numbers of rollovers. The Ford Explorer was introduced the motoring public in 1991 and was marketed as a safe passenger friendly replacement to the Ford Bronco II, the former rollover king. But apparrantly Ford's engineers didn't design the rollover out of Mercury Mountaineer and Navajo. The Mercury Mountaineer and Mazda Navajo has been rolling over and killing it's occupants since the first months both were first sold. Even today, more Mercury Mountaineer and Mazda Navajo are rolling over at alarming rates, even after the Ford Firestone recall and replacement of the Firestone tires.In fact in July 2006, Ford and Firestone announced apress release that all owners of Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers were going to be renotified about replacement of earlier Firstone tires that may still be used as spares on Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers. These defective and recalled tires are no older and even more likely to have a tread separation problem and rollover accident.  

Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Explorers have rollover rates that rank higher than any of it's current competitors. In a recent rollover study analysis of national and Florida crash statistics, the Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers, even when fitted with tires other than Firestone, has a higher rate of tire-related accidents than other sport utility vehicles. While Firestone turned out millions of sub-standard and potentially defective tires, and was the initial cause of loss of control many Mercury Mountaineer rollovers and Mazda Navajorollovers due to tire tread separation, the blame has shifted toward Ford and Mercury for defectively designed and unstable vehicles .

In 2006 in a Ford Explorer rollover trial, evidence was introduced that indicated that the (Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers) are unstable not only on Firestone tires but also on tires made by Goodyear, Cooper, Michelin's Uniroyal, BF Goodrich, Kelly Springfield, Continental General and other tire manufacturers. Such evidence help to support the argument among many plaintiff lawyers that represent Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos rollover victims that the Mercury Mountaineers and Mazda Navajos are unstable and can flip over or overturn when the driver is faced with an emergency maneuver, hard braking or other evasive driving maneuvers to avoid an animal, a pothole, black ice, road hazard or another vehicle.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) issued a safety report in 2005, finding that Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers  (the two-door, two-wheel drive models) made between 1999 - 2002 had the fourth highest rate of driver death of the 47 SUVs that were part of the study and in a study the year before, the Ford Explorer SportTrac received the worst rollover rating of any SUV tested.Ralph Nadar's organization Public Citizen along with many consumer action groups are pushing NHTSA and Congress to recall the Ford Explorer. The problems with the Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers are just going to continue to increase as the fleet of these SUVs get older. As the suspension, springs, shocks, tires, linkage gets worn out and looser, the handling and stability of the Explorer will be even harder to control in emergency evasive manuevers and other everyday situations in which a tight responsive vehicle is required and expected. Further, Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers lawsuits have been file in court alleging that the Mercury Mountaineers, Mazda Navajos and Ford Explorers roof are defective as the design creates a weak roof subject to severe roof crush or roof deformation in a rollover resulting in severe spinal cord injuries, neck fractures, head injuries, resulting in paralysis, brain damage and death.

Mercury Mountaineer Rollover & Mazda Navajo Rollover Accidents

If you have a question regarding serious personal injuries or the wrongful death of a friend or family member involved in a Mercury Mountaineer Rollover or Mazda Navajo Rollover, tire tread separation, tire blowout, roof crush roof pillar collapse, vehicle roll over or other serious accident, then call and talk to us now. Please call our office if we can be of assistance to you or your family. Call for a Free & Confidential Consultation.