Automotive Defect: Post-Collision Fuel-Fed Fires
2009 February 28
One of the most well-known automotive product defects was the exploding Ford Pinto gas tank. Videos of a Ford Pinto catching fire after a rear-end collision were seen in living rooms throughout the United States. These videos brought automotive safety into the public forefront. It was also one of the first automotive defect cases litigated on a large scale throughout the nation. While the Pinto cases centered in the 1970s, post-collision fuel-fed fires still occur and are still, sometimes, the result of defectively designed automobiles.
As the name makes clear, post-collision fuel-fed fires are characterized by a collision and a subsequent fire. These are different from post-collision engine fires, and engine fires should be ruled out when evaluating a possible fuel tank fire. Fuel tank fires are caused by an excess amount of gasoline being released from the tank or where the filler neck enters the tank, as a result of a collision. This can occur because the gas tank is not properly guarded and is punctured as a result of a collision. It can also occur when a collision causes the filler neck to be pulled out of the tank thereby releasing an excess amount of gasoline. The origin of these fires will be located around the fuel-tank. Pictures help determine the location of the fire and its origin.
Many vehicles are now equipped with a device that stops the flow of gasoline if the filler neck becomes dislodged from the gas tank. This is an easy and cheap fix and the most common safer alternative design. If the tank is punctured, the safer alternative design will usually be a stronger guarding mechanism for the tank.
Rear-end collisions are foreseeable. A vehicle should be built in such a way that it’s gas tank does not catch fire as a result of a rear-end collision.
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