Consumers in 14 states have filed a class action lawsuit against Ford Motor Company alleging some of its vehicles built between 2002 and 2010 were susceptible to sudden unintended acceleration.

The Ford acceleration lawsuit, which was filed in a West Virginia federal court, alleges that Ford vehicle models built between 2002 and 2010 with electronic throttles can allow unintended acceleration. The Ford vehicles in question, which include nearly three dozen Ford, Lincoln and Mercury nameplates, lack a brake override system. Ford began installing the system in its U.S. cars in 2010.

The Ford acceleration lawsuit blames the sudden unintended acceleration in Ford vehicles manufactured from 2002-2010 on the electronic throttle control (ETC) system and lack of a fail-safe system. An ETC electronically connects the accelerator pedal to the throttle.

The electronic throttle system takes control of the accelerator away from the driver. The Ford sudden acceleration lawsuit claims that Ford installed a brake override system in its North American cars starting in 2010 but failed to include it in older cars. Some of the vehicles named in the Ford class action lawsuit are:

• Taurus: model years 2008-2009
• Escape: model years 2005-2010
• Explorer: model years 2007-2010

If these older vehicles had been equipped with a fail-safe system such as a brake override, the driver would be able to regain control from the electronic throttle system by depressing the brake to slow down the vehicle. Lack of this system makes it difficult to stop the accelerated vehicle.

Beginning in 2002, Ford began manufacturing and selling Ford Vehicles with ETC systems that were allegedly subject to sudden unintended acceleration and without an adequate fail-safe to assist in such sudden uncontrollable acceleration. Ford allegedly failed to inform its customers who purchased and/or leased their vehicles that they were unsafe and the problem lied in the faulty design of the ETC.

Ford received at least hundreds of reports from owners of the vehicles that its ETC was problematic and needed a fail-safe protection.

Those using these vehicles were not only put in danger, but the vehicles they bought and/or leased allegedly decreased in value due to the faulty design. From 2002-2013, Ford marketed its vehicles as “safe” and that Ford itself was a “safety leader.” However, Ford allegedly became aware of the design defects beginning in 2002 and continued to manufacture, advertise, and sell the vehicles without any disclosure to its customers.

This Ford Sudden Acceleration Class Action Lawsuit is Case No.: 12-cv-06529, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia (Huntington).