Its case–and hundreds like it–could cost the carmakers millions, and last week the U.S. Supreme Court had its first chance to weigh in. The court declined to hear Ford’s appeal of a lower-court ruling, paving the way for a trial–and crashing the Big Three’s hopes that such cases would be tossed out. Ford,s defense: it shouldn’t be liable because it complied with federal rules, which didn’t require air bags in the 1980s. The Tebbettses say the automakers began installing air bags in some cars in the 1970s and are at fault for the slow rollout. The results of four similar cases? The carmakers won two, but paid out millions settling the others.
