Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ Seat Belt Problems Result in Recall of 680K Vehicles

• JohnMarch 16, 2018 at 4:52 pm

  I am searching for a Law firm that is not scared to take on Ford Motor Company. I did obtain an attorney for my auto accident itself, however I am looking for one that has the background, experience and expertise to pursue Ford for my injuries that I sustained in a vehicle that was listed per VIN to be in the seat belt pretensioner recall. Unfortunately the vehicle is no longer available for inspe[Show More]I am searching for a Law firm that is not scared to take on Ford Motor Company. I did obtain an attorney for my auto accident itself, however I am looking for one that has the background, experience and expertise to pursue Ford for my injuries that I sustained in a vehicle that was listed per VIN to be in the seat belt pretensioner recall. Unfortunately the vehicle is no longer available for inspection as it was sold at auction and shipped to Iraq. The recall came out months after my insurance company totaled the vehicle. Everything that you would need to know is written below and if you feel confident in taking my case or need any further information please reach out to ASAP. On October 20th, 2016 I was involved in a car accident in the Ford Fusion. I was proceeding through an intersection which I had a green light for and another vehicle attempted to make a left hand turn in front of me which resulted in a head on crash. There was nothing that I could do to avoid the accident and the other driver was cited for failure to yield. The impact itself was forceful enough that the other drivers seat belt broke her collar bone from the impact. Thank God that my son was not in the car with me when the accident happened. Several days after the car accident my neck began to pop when I would look over my right shoulder and the level of pain began to increase. Following the advice from my insurance agent I went to a doctor to have my neck checked out. The doctor took several x-rays and noticed some problems with the vertebrae alignment and gave me a referral to have an MRI completed. The doctor also started me on medications and physical therapy for lower back discomfort and pain. After the MRI was reviewed the doctor told me I needed to go see a Spinal Surgeon due to the results. The chiropractor told me if he would have adjusted my next before the MRI findings I would have been paralyzed. I went to several Spinal Surgeons including: Biospine Institute with Dr. Bono, Trinity Spine Center with Dr. Siddiqi and Florida Spine Institute with Dr. Koebbe. All three Surgeons told me that I have sever spinal cord damage and that if I did not have surgery I was risking paralysis of my left arm and/or left leg. This was very surprising to hear since I was wearing my seatbelt and had my shin and steering wheel airbags deploy in the accident. I was starting to have some physical issues and as time went by it was getting worse and more symptoms arose. I have never had a broken bone, surgery or stitches in my life and I was extremely scared to have this surgery since all three Surgeons told me I needed to have three discs removed from my neck and four vertebrae fused to hopefully avoid/delay any future problems with my spinal cord. I was told that the surgery would not make me feel better or put me back to how I was prior to the accident. The surgery was solely to try and avoid more problems and/or paralysis. During all of this I had obtained a lawyer to help me through the accident process and to help me make sure that all medical was paid for and to help me receive payment from the other driver’s insurance to pay off my vehicle since it was listed as Totaled by the insurance company. At this point a few months had gone by since the accident, I was without a vehicle since my Ford Fusion had been totaled, I was in physical pain, I had no way to transport my son to and from daycare, pediatrician’s appointments, his surgery for ear tubes, the park and anywhere else I needed to take him let alone myself. I was so scared to have the spinal surgery since it was a major deal and would change my life once completed. I was so worried that something would happen, and my son would be left without his sole parent that I completed my will, living will, and custody wishes should I not be able to take care of him or alive after the surgery. Once I had all that paperwork completed I scheduled the surgery with Dr. Koebbe from Florida Spine Institute. On February 8th, 2017 I went into the hospital to have three discs removed and the four vertebrae fused together in my neck. Dr. Koebbe performed a multilevel ACDF using the ROI-c procedure on C3-C6. I was required to wear a neck brace for 6 weeks following the surgery and was restricted to lifting nothing more than 5lbs. My son at the time was turning 2 on February 28th, 2017 and I was not able to care for him at all. I had to rely on my father and stepmother to take care of not only me after surgery but had to completely rely on them to do all the daily routines and care that my son needed. I was not able to pick him up or rock him to sleep at night. I couldn’t change his diaper or play with him or bathe him. I have always suffered from depression however never had I suffered to the extent that I did after this accident. The other driver at this point had surgery on the day of the accident for a broken collar bone and was back to work and life as if nothing had happened. I however will never be as I was before the accident. This accident changed my life and still affects me daily. Following the accident, I was approved for Social Security Disability since I am now unable to perform any of the jobs I have worked in the past. After the surgery while I was at home recovering I received in the mail a recall notice from ford. The recall notice stating that my vehicle (including my Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)) was involved in a seatbelt recall. It stated, “the problem stems from faulty seat belt anchor pretensioners that can overheat and cause the cable to snap during deployment in a crash.” The issue "may inadequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing risk of injury," Ford said in a statement. Every surgeon that I saw prior to my surgery said that they could not believe the extent of injury that I had for someone who not only had airbag deployment but was also wearing their seatbelt. I was told that my injuries seem more consistent with that of not wearing a seatbelt and even then, they are surprised. My attorney decided that due to the recall that specifically stated my VIN that they would reach out to Ford and give them notice that a client of theirs was involved in an accident with injury. The attorney believed that since I was injured while driving a vehicle that had been issued a recall for a faulty seatbelt that the manufacturer of the vehicle (Ford) should be liable to compensate for any issues and future issues that may arise. Ford quickly assigned an investigator to investigate the claim. Sadly, this is where the disregard for their customer comes into play. The investigator started by tracking down the vehicle that I was driving. There was a line of events with my 2013 Ford Fusion that followed the accident. From the accident scene the Fusion was transported to the tow yard of the towing company that responded to the accident. It then was transferred to my insurance companies yard. From there it was listed at action and sold. The person who purchased my Fusion at auction had it sent to Iraq. Once the investigator learned of this he informed his employer Ford who declined to take any responsibility or acknowledge that my Fusion could have had a faulty seatbelt. Everything stopped at that point with the insurance, attorney and Ford. I had already had surgery to remove three discs and fuse four vertebrae in my neck leaving my physically in pain daily with several nerve issues also. I have also been deemed disabled and I am unable to work to provide for myself and my son. Because I purchased a vehicle that was supposed to be highly rated for safety I am now left in a worse position than I had been prior to purchasing this 2013 Ford Fusion. When I was approved for disability I began to receive Social Security Disability payments every month. However, the amount that I receive monthly is based on the amount that I have paid into Social Security during the years that I worked. I worked enough in the past to receive $980 a month in disability which is nice to have although it still leaves me making a third of what I made before the accident. Based on the amount I receive over the year I am in the poverty level of income. I am unable to receive Medicare because you must be on Disability for two years before you are approved for Medicare. I applied for Medicaid and was turned down due to the amount I receive in Disability. I was told that if I received less than $780 a month I would be eligible for full coverage Medicaid but since I receive $980 I do not and only qualify for Share-Of-Cost Medicaid with my share being $850 per month. This means that I must pay $850 out of my pocket each month before Medicaid will kick in and pay for anything that exceeds the $850 in that month. I am not sure how I am expected to pay $850 out of my $980 I receive each month and still be able to live and provide for myself and my son. The worst part of all of this is the impact on the lively hood of myself and the relationship with my son. I am currently 34 years old and live daily in pain and take a gamut of medications to reduce the pain and neurological pain/symptoms that I have. I will never as I was prior to the car accident. Now, my son who just turned three on February 28th, 2018 has a father who is physically broken. I am unable to carry or hold him for more than a few minutes. I cannot hold his hand and let him swing around. I am unable to run in the yard or play with him unless it is something that I can sit and do. I cannot throw a baseball with him in the yard or teach him how to play any sports. I struggle to do anything that involves me to lift my arms above shoulder level. I have always been a hands-on person and fixed anything that breaks around the house. I had always had the dream of teaching my son how do repair anything that breaks or how to build walls, run electrical, repair plumbing or how to repair his vehicle. Unfortunately, those dreams will never come true because I cannot do them now without causing myself more pain. I am only able to be on my feet for short periods before I must sit/lay down due to pain. I cannot sit for extended periods also as the positions become uncomfortable/painful. In a period of 8 months following my surgery I spent over $1600 on medications alone to try to live as normal as a life as possible. That is not including the costs spent on going to the doctors. Just my pain management doctor alone costs me $146 per month to see him and pick up my paper prescriptions. My level of comfort and what I can provide has been drastically reduced due to purchasing a vehicle that was believed to have an elevated level of safety rating. Not only has this changed every aspect of my life and what I am able to physically do but it has drastically changed the level of interaction with my son and the relationship that I will have with him. Everything that a father or parent looks forward to doing with their child I will not be able to do now unless I watch him do it with someone else. All of this comes back to purchasing the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid that was supposed to keep me safe in the event of an accident and failed to do so causing me to incur more serious physical damage. Ford themselves have taken no responsibility for what happened and showed no remorse or even to compensate for what has happened. Ford has shown me that they have no desire to make a customer of theirs feel appreciated or cared for. All that I have seen is that that one customer being altered and changed for life from one of their products means nothing to them.

• JohnMarch 16, 2018 at 4:43 pm

  So, I don’t normally like to speak negatively about anyone/thing publicly, but I feel that I need to alert others to the lack of safety and lack of care and wellbeing for their customers. In 2016 I purchase a used 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. I have owned several Fords in the past and fell in love with this Fusion when I saw it. At age 32 this was the first time in my life that I was able to purchase/[Show More]So, I don’t normally like to speak negatively about anyone/thing publicly, but I feel that I need to alert others to the lack of safety and lack of care and wellbeing for their customers. In 2016 I purchase a used 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. I have owned several Fords in the past and fell in love with this Fusion when I saw it. At age 32 this was the first time in my life that I was able to purchase/finance a newer vehicle. I was so proud of myself for working hard and finally able to reward myself by purchasing a nice vehicle for myself and my son. I did some research on the Ford Fusion before purchasing it to make sure it had what I wanted since i knew that I would be making payments for a long time. There were several factors that weighed heavily on the decision to purchase or not. One factor was MPG. I was working at the time 18 miles from home and needed a reliable vehicle with great gas mileage. Being a hybrid vehicle, I knew that I would benefit from owning a hybrid vehicle. The second and most important was the safety rating. Since I have had sole custody of my son since birth that he would be in my car a lot. I wanted to make sure that the vehicle I purchased had great safety ratings just in case I was to be involved in an accident. After doing plenty of safety rating research I believed the purchase of this 2013 Ford Fusion would be safe and reliable not only for myself but for my son. On October 20th, 2016 I was involved in a car accident in the Ford Fusion. I was proceeding through an intersection which I had a green light for and another vehicle attempted to make a left hand turn in front of me which resulted in a head on crash. There was nothing that I could do to avoid the accident and the other driver was cited for failure to yield. The impact itself was forceful enough that the other drivers seat belt broke her collar bone from the impact. Thank God that my son was not in the car with me when the accident happened. Several days after the car accident my neck began to pop when I would look over my right shoulder and the level of pain began to increase. Following the advice from my insurance agent I went to a doctor to have my neck checked out. The doctor took several x-rays and noticed some problems with the vertebrae alignment and gave me a referral to have an MRI completed. The doctor also started me on medications and physical therapy for lower back discomfort and pain. After the MRI was completed the doctor told me I needed to go see a Spinal Surgeon due to the results. I went to several Spinal Surgeons including: Biospine Institute with Dr. Bono, Trinity Spine Center with Dr. Siddiqi and Florida Spine Institute with Dr. Koebbe. All three Surgeons told me that I have sever spinal cord damage and that if I did not have surgery I was risking paralysis of my left arm and/or left leg. This was very surprising to hear since I was wearing my seatbelt and had my shin and steering wheel airbags deploying in the accident. I was starting to have some physical issues and as time went by it was getting worse and adding issues. I was extremely scared to have surgery since all three Surgeons told me I needed to have three discs removed from my neck and four vertebrae fused to hopefully avoid/delay any future problems with my spinal cord. I was told that the surgery would not make me feel better or put me back to how I was prior to the accident. The surgery was solely to try and avoid more problems and/or paralysis. During all of this I had obtained a lawyer to help me through the accident process and to help me make sure that all medical was paid for and to help me receive payment from the other driver’s insurance to pay off my vehicle since it was listed as Totaled by the insurance company. At this point a few months had gone by since the accident and not only was I left vehicle less and in physical pain, but I had no way to transport my son to and from daycare, pediatrician’s appointments, surgery for ear tubes, the park and anywhere else I needed to take him let alone myself. I was so scared to have the spinal surgery since it was a major deal and would change my life once completed. I was so worried that something would happen, and my son would be left without his sole parent that I completed my will, living will, and custody wishes should I not be able or alive after the surgery. Once I had all that paperwork completed I scheduled the surgery with Dr. Koebbe from Florida Spine Institute. On February 8th, 2017 I went into the hospital to have three discs removed and the four vertebrae fused together in my neck. This was the cervical spine C3-C6. I was required to wear a neck brace for 6 weeks following the surgery and was restricted to lifting nothing more than 5lbs. my son at the time was turning 2 on February 28th, 2017 and I was not able to care for him at all. I had to rely on my father and stepmother to take care of not only me after surgery but had to completely rely on them to do all the daily routines and care that my son needed. I was not able to pick him up or rock him to sleep at night. I couldn’t change his diaper or play with him or bathe him. I have always suffered from depression however never had I suffered to the extent that I did after this accident. The other driver at this point had surgery on the day of the accident for a broken collar bone but had already gone through therapy and was back to work and life as if nothing had happened. I however would never be as I was before the accident. This accident changed my life and still affects me daily. Following the accident, I was approved for Social Security Disability since I am now unable to perform any of the jobs I have worked in the past. After the surgery while I was at home recovering I received in the mail a recall notice from ford. The recall notice stating that my vehicle (including my Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)) was involved in a seatbelt recall. It stated, “the problem stems from faulty seat belt anchor pretensioners that can overheat and cause the cable to snap during deployment in a crash.” The issue "may inadequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing risk of injury," Ford said in a statement. Every surgeon that I saw prior to my surgery said that they could not believe the extent of injury that I had for someone who not only had airbag deployment but was also wearing their seatbelt. I was told that my injuries seem more consistent with that of not wearing a seatbelt and even then, they are surprised. My attorney decided that due to the recall that specifically stated my VIN that they would reach out to Ford and give them notice that a client of theirs was involved in an accident with injury. The attorney believed that since I was injured while driving a vehicle that had been issued a recall for a faulty seatbelt that the manufacturer of the vehicle (Ford) should be liable to compensate for any issues and future issues that may arise. Ford quickly assigned an investigator to investigate the claim. Sadly, this is where the disregard for their customer comes into play. The investigator started by tracking down the vehicle that I was driving. There was a line of events with my 2013 Ford Fusion that followed the accident. From the accident scene the Fusion was transported to the tow yard of the towing company that responded to the accident. It then was transferred to my insurance companies yard. From there it was listed at action and sold. The person who purchased my Fusion at auction had it sent to Iraq. Once the investigator learned of this he informed his employer Ford who declined to take any responsibility or acknowledge that my Fusion could have had a faulty seatbelt. Everything stopped at that point with the insurance, attorney and Ford. I had already had surgery to remove three discs and fuse four vertebrae in my neck leaving my physically in pain daily with several nerve issues also. I have also been deemed disabled and I am unable to work to provide for myself and my son. Because I purchased a vehicle that was supposed to be highly rated for safety I am now left in a worse position than I had been prior to purchasing this 2013 Ford Fusion. When I was approved for disability I began to receive Social Security Disability payments every month. However, the amount that I re3cieve monthly is based on the amount that I have paid into Social Security during the years that I worked. I worked enough in the past to receive $980 a month in disability which is nice to have although it still leaves me making a third of what I made before the accident. Based on the amount I receive over the year I am in the poverty level of income. I am unable to receive Medicare because you must be on Disability for two years before you are approved for Medicare. I applied for Medicaid and was turned down due to the amount I receive in Disability. I was told that if I received less than $780 a month I would be eligible for full coverage Medicaid but since I receive $980 I do not and only qualify for Share-Of-Cost Medicaid with my share being $850 per month. This means that I must pay $850 out of my pocket each month before Medicaid will kick in and pay for anything that exceeds the $850 in that month. I am not sure how I am expected to pay $850 out of my $980 I receive each month and still be able to live and provide for myself and my son. The worst part of all of this is the impact on the lively hood of myself and the relationship with my son. I am currently 34 years old and live daily in pain and take a gamut of medications to reduce the pain and neurological pain/symptoms that I have. I will never as I was prior to the car accident. Now, my son who just turned three on February 28th, 2018 has a father who is physically broken. I am unable to carry or hold him for more than a few minutes. I cannot hold his hand and let him swing around. I am unable to run in the yard or play with him unless it is something that I can sit and do. I cannot throw a baseball with him in the yard or teach him how to play any sports. I struggle to do anything that involves me to lift my arms above shoulder level. I have always been a hands-on person and fixed anything that breaks around the house. I had always had the dream of teaching my son how do repair anything that breaks or how to build walls, run electrical, repair plumbing or how to repair his vehicle. Unfortunately, those dreams will never come true because I cannot do them now without causing myself more pain. I am only able to be on my feet for short periods before I must sit/lay down due to pain. I cannot sit for extended periods also as the positions become uncomfortable/painful. In a period of 8 months following my surgery I spent over $1600 on medications alone to try to live as normal as a life as possible. That is not including the costs spent on going to the doctors. Just my pain management doctor alone costs me $146 per month to see him and pick up my paper prescriptions. My level of comfort and what I can provide has been drastically reduced due to purchasing a vehicle that was believed to have an elevated level of safety rating. Not only has this changed every aspect of my life and what I am able to physically do but it has drastically changed the level of interaction with my son and the relationship that I will have with him. Everything that a father or parent looks forward to doing with their child I will not be able to do now unless I watch him do it with someone else. All of this comes back to purchasing the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid that was supposed to keep me safe in the event of an accident and failed to do so causing me to incur more serious physical damage. Ford themselves have taken no responsibility for what happened and showed no remorse or even to compensate for what has happened. Ford has shown me that they have no desire to make a customer of theirs feel appreciated or cared for. All that I have seen is that that one customer being altered and changed for life from one of their products means nothing to them. The reason that I have taken the time to put all of this down is to inform others if their lack of concern for what happens to their so called “valued customers”. Having experienced this first hand from Ford I will not purchase any products made by the company or sister companies of Ford. I will also make sure to inform any friends and/or family about the experience I have had with them to ensure that they are fully aware before making any purchases themselves. I also want to make sure that the public is aware and knows of the concern at hand. I know that most are aware of the Takata airbag recall but feel that the seatbelt recall has gone quietly by when it could result in others having the same negative and life changing issues that I have experienced and will have to live with for the rest of my life and my son’s life. There is no way to put a monetary value on the life and the things that I am unable to do at this point. However it would be nice to know that while I am physically unable to financially provide the life that I was working towards for my son that the Ford company cares enough to at least make an offer to offset the loss that I have not only already suffered but that I will continue to have for the rest of my life and what I am able to provide for my son. I had never understood others when they pursued a company for a loss they endured but now I completely understand why they pursue. The ability for me to provide and interact with my son has been almost completely severed and I must live with this daily. I hope that Ford cares enough to read all of what I have said here and will do more to ensure the safety of their customers. I am also going to be posting this on several media sites to try and reach as much of the public as possible so that if they own a vehicle involved in the seatbelt recall that they will take their car in to be fixed before something like this happens to them. Sadly, for me my accident happened after ford had heard of two sever injury accidents but had yet to send out a recall until it was to late for me.

• PamelaJuly 11, 2017 at 11:08 pm

  Failed seatbelts in accident.