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Article Reflection: Ford Explorer Rollover

The reported story featured in The San Diego Union Tribune on “2002: Ford Explorer Rollover” is exciting and informative. Reading the article has allowed me to understand why Ford Motors Co. paid out $51 million to end claims concerning its failure to make public the rollover dangers in its sport utility vehicles (SUVs). State attorneys argued that in its advertising campaigns, the firm deliberately concealed Explorers’ safety concerns from its target market, exposing them to imminent life risks. I agree with this article that Ford Motors Co. exposed its customer-base to liable danger, leading to massive loss of lives and other punitive damages, underlining the importance of appreciating business ethics in a person’s career.

I agree that Ford Motors Co. compromised on the quality of the Explorer by choosing options that avoided delaying scheduled market release. I trust that the Explorer was supposed to replace the Bronco II, a vehicle that had stability issues. Unfortunately, engineers based the Explorer design on the Bronco II. Following criticism from Consumer Reports, concerning the likelihood of the Bronco II to rollover during high-speed turns, Explorer designers suggested certain modifications. From the article, it is clear that the suggestions came with tradeoffs; for this reason, the company subjectively implemented them, avoiding the option of redesigning the car. Delaying production would have affected the company’s competitiveness, forcing Ford to release faulty Explorers. Manufacturing sub-standard vehicles affected end-user satisfaction.

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