Quote:
edadis previously said:
What do lifts, wheel travel, aftermarket bumpers, and tears generally have in common? All are asociated with people who are inclined to offroad more and more agggessively than those who don't have lifts or steel bumpers. It is called correlation.
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That is true, but has no bearing on causal effect. A structural design flaw may be exaserbated by accessories and driving style, but not caused by them. Ford spent hundreds of millions denying the Explorer had a design flaw leading to vehicle instability and rollovers, yet they paid out a lot of claims, and redesigned the Explorer to eliminate the issue.
The FJ Cruiser is a vehicle whose entire ad campaign is in magazines dedicated to off-road afficianados, whose dealer brochures are virtual books on off-road technique, aftermarket parts, and trail runs. While a manufacturer can write a disclaimer for anything, it's responsibilty for an issue like this will depend on whether it is reasonable, based on the protrayal by the manufacturer, for a consumer to expect the vehicle to perform and hold up under the conditions advertised. I have never seen an ad by Toyota for the FJ Cruiser that was not in an aggressive, off-road situation. I expect, and I feel reasonably so, that my vehicle will not tear apart when I use it in the manor for which it is advertised to be driven.
