Ford Must Face Reinstated Suit Over Unlatching Seat Belt

Ford Motor Co. must face a reinstated suit by an Alabama man who alleges he suffered serious injuries when his truck’s seat belt came undone during a rollover crash sequence.

Jerry Easterling was driving his 2003 Ford F-250 Super Crew pickup when he hit a patch of ice in 2012, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.

Easterling may have a jury decide whether the truck’s seat belt was unfit for its ordinary use, which was the basis of his warranty claim against Ford under Alabama law, the Eleventh Circuit said in an unpublished Aug. 5 opinion.

The court ...