6 September 2002: A lawsuit against Ford in Kentucky says the company should have included adjustable pedals as standard in a 1997 car, to avoid shorter people being damaged by airbags.

A 4'9" woman, Lynn Struttman, was killed by an airbag that deployed in her Mercury Sable. The lawsuit says Ford knew of the benefits of such adjusters but didn't fit what are now their best-selling optional feature.

The adjusters allow shorter people to sit further back from the steering wheel.

The US Institute for Highway Safety says some 215 people have been killed since 1990 because of airbags inflating in low-impact crashes.

Ford's defence in the trial has been that the airbag in the Sable had a lower pressure than other comparable models.