"Ford Knew About This in 1981. It Still Sold the Bronco II."

In 1981, a Ford proving-ground test showed a fully loaded Bronco II prototype lifting its inside wheel or tipping onto its outrigger in every recorded run at just 30 mph. Engineers recommended widening the vehicle's track. Ford's leadership chose the launch schedule instead, and the compact SUV reached showrooms in 1983 largely unchanged. This episode of Auto Defect Files follows the documented record that came after: internal handling files later "sanitized" by company attorneys, the 1989 Consumer Reports "avoid" rating, and NHTSA's controversial 1990 decision to close its rollover investigation without ordering a recall. By 1995, Ford had paid roughly $113 million to settle 334 individual injury and wrongful-death claims — and the case was far from over. A former Ford engineer's paid, contradictory courtroom testimony would trigger a federal fraud ruling in 2001 and reopen cases for years afterward. Built from NHTSA filings, court records, and reporting from the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Automotive News, this is the full chain of decisions behind an estimated 260 rollover deaths. Part of the Auto Defect Files archive on automotive safety history, 1900–2000.