Ford Motor Co. v. Zahn
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
265 F.2d 729 (1959)
Relevant factsFree
Marvin Zahn (plaintiff) lost an eye when the car he was riding in braked suddenly, jolting him forward into a sharp metal protrusion on a Ford (defendant) dashboard ashtray, allegedly caused by a dull cutting die during manufacturing. Zahn sued for negligence, and Ford defended by arguing its ashtray inspection process (a sampling operation rather than inspecting every unit) was reasonable given that losing an eye wasn't a foreseeable consequence of the defect. A jury found for Zahn and awarded $26,350; Ford appealed.
IssueFree
Whether a manufacturer has a duty to undertake reasonable inspections or tests to discover defects in the manufacturing process.
Related cases
Meistrich v. Casino Area Attractions, Inc.155 A.2d 90 (1959)Kidd v. Hoggett331 S.W.2d 515 (Tex. Civ. App. 1959)Ogden v. Association of the United States Army177 F.Supp. 498 (D.D.C. 1959)Connolly v. Nicollet Hotel95 N.W.2d 657 (1959)Fontainebleau Hotel Corp. v. Forty-Five Twenty-Five, Inc.114 So. 2d 357 (Fla. App. 1959)