Willis Law Firm's client was the driver of the 1994 Isuzu Rodeo pictured to the right, when, suddenly and without warning, the Isuzu Rodeo rolled over out of control and when she was forced to make a sudden lane change on  Interstate 45 in Houston, Texas. Our client, who has been determined to have been belted immediately prior to the rollover was ejected from the vehicle and died from massive head injuries. After a thorough inspection and investigation by our experts and investigators, a products liability rollover law suit was filed against Isuzu Motors Ltd. and the seatbelt manufacturer Takata Corporation. After many months of depositions and legal motions, a confidential settlement was negotiated on behalf our client's surviving family.

ISUZU RODEO ROLLOVER ACCIDENTS- WHY SO MANY ?

All across America, numerous drivers of Isuzu Rodeos are being confronted with situations that require emergency maneuvers, braking, and lane-changing. Recently, a California woman was awarded  $3.7 MILLION for the head injuries that she sustained when she was driving her Isuzu Rodeo which also rolled as she was changing lanes. The jury found that Isuzu was negligent in failing to test the vehicle before putting it on the market. A vehicle sold to the driving public should allow such  avoidance maneuvers without rolling over. The Isuzu Rodeo, like most sports utilities vehicles (SUVs) has a high center of gravity and is a fairly unstable vehicle. Although advertised and designed to be driven off the road  it has a higher ground clearance than a passenger car, therefore  a greater /higher center of gravity.Other than the standard roof, roof pillars, roof header and roof rail, the Isuzu Rodeo and most SUVs do not have any type of rollover protection or rollbars. To make matters worse, few SUV's in general even meet the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration weak roof safety standards for automobiles.

The chief hazard with the Isuzu Rodeo and other SUVs occurs when taking emergency action after steering in one direction and then being forced to rapidly correct in the opposite direction, such as in a quick lane change, or an avoidance maneuver. The result is a rollover. Rollover occurs because of the absence of both a lower center of gravity and a wider track width, which allow normal passenger vehicles  to skid, spin and recover. Drivers of cars are able to perform these defensive actions every day without the high risk of rollover. Often the investigating officer does not take the design of the vehicle into evidence when he citing the driver for failure to control speed, overcorrecting and oversteering.

Isuzu Faces vs. Consumer Reports (Consumers Union)

Lawsuit Alleging Defamation Heads To Court

LOS ANGELES, Updated 3:38 p.m. EST February 8, 2000 -- A high-profile case involving Isuzu Motors and Consumer Reports heads to court Tuesday.

The automaker filed suit against the magazine for an article that said the 1995-96 Isuzu Trooper sport utility vehicle rolls easily when making emergency turns. Isuzu said its sales dropped 54 percent following the report. Isuzu claims Consumers Union, which publishes the widely respected report, rigged tests of the Trooper because it wanted more sensational results. The company is alleging product disparagement and defamation. Consumers Union, which has been rating products for 64 years, says the lawsuit is a public relations stunt Isuzu is mounting to silence critics.

Consumers Union hired three professional drivers with engineering degrees to put the Trooper through the paces at its East Haddam, Conn., test track. Out of 192 lane-change maneuvers, the Trooper tipped up its two right wheels 75 times, according to Consumers Union.

But Isuzu claims the test drivers caused the Trooper to tip by turning the steering wheel father and farther than real-would drivers would do even in emergencies. Suzuki Motor Corp. also has a lawsuit pending against Consumer Reports for saying its 1988 Samurai SUV easily turns over. Consumers Union has been sued dozens of times over its ratings, but never lost a case. The Trooper and the Samurai are the only SUVs ever to receive a "not acceptable" rating.