The 2011 Ford Explorer at Torque News
There are vehicles that can be problematic. This normally happens when someone buys a lemon. In the past this was on a case by case basis. You’d buy a new SUV, drive it off the lot and over the next few years have nothing but drive train issues or the oil pressure light would forever be lit.
More recently though, government standards and regulations are forcing manufacturers to issue recalls when their model years start to exhibit consistent problems. Most responsible manufacturers will even issue recalls for repairs before government involvement to ensure customer satisfaction and to keep a high standard of safety rating with Consumer Reports and other bench marks in the industry like auto magazines.
So… what happens when an entire rental industry decides that the make and model of your vehicle is too risky to deal with?
That’s what U-Haul is actively doing. According to Torque News, U-Haul is saying that because of the Firestone tire blow out debacle back in 1998, they’re not up to doing business with anyone who drives a Ford Explorer. Due to lawsuits surrounding Explorers equipped with the Firestone tire brand, they can’t risk renting to people who drive Explorers.
“U-Haul said on Dec 22nd that they would no longer sell trailers to owners of Explorers due to the bad reputation they received regarding the lawsuits. Joanne Fried, director of media and corporate relations with U-Haul, told Consumer Reports, “Every time we go to hire an attorney to defend a lawsuit, as soon as we say ‘Ford Explorer’ they charge us more money.”
Even though the new 2011 Ford Explorer SUV has better standards, U-Haul isn’t changing their decision.
Read more at Torque News.
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