Ford Motor Company

Ford’s History with Asbestos Auto Parts

Ford Motor Company used asbestos in its vehicles from its first car in 1903 through much of the 20th century. Asbestos appeared in brakes, clutches, gaskets and other auto parts, which later exposed workers and vehicle owners to dangerous fibers.

The company played a major role in U.S. wartime production. During World War I, Ford produced submarine chasers, tanks and cars. In World War II, it manufactured 80% of all B-24 bomber planes, which also involved the use of asbestos products.

Since the 1980s, Ford has faced thousands of lawsuits from workers, mechanics and others who developed diseases like mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos in its products. The company continues to defend its past asbestos use while remaining one of the most prominent U.S. automakers.

Ford’s Asbestos Auto Parts

Ford manufactured several asbestos-containing auto parts that were used in vehicles for decades. These products become dangerous when damaged because they release asbestos fibers into the air, which people can inhale. Inhaling these fibers can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and serious diseases, often many years after asbestos exposure.

Auto Parts With Asbestos

• Brake linings
• Brake pads
• Clutch facings
• Engines
• GasketsTransmissions

Ford sold these parts under brand names including Ford, Mercury, Ford Authorized Remanufactured and Motorcraft. The company began phasing out asbestos brakes and clutches in 1983 but continued using the mineral in Ford Mustangs into the 1990s. Asbestos-containing replacement parts stayed on the market until 2001.

Occupations at Risk From Ford’s Asbestos Products

Mechanics who installed or repaired Ford brakes, clutches and other friction products faced the highest risk of occupational asbestos exposure. Other workers who came into contact with these products during manufacturing, distribution or repair also faced significant exposure. 

Higher-Risk Occupations

• Auto parts store employees
• Factory workers
• Foundry workers
• Grinders
• Junkyard workers
• Mechanics
• Pipefitters
• Warehouse employees

People who worked with these parts at home, such as DIY auto mechanics or enthusiasts, could also be exposed. Family members living with these workers might face secondary exposure from asbestos fibers brought into the home on clothing or tools.

Notable Asbestos Lawsuits Against Ford

Ford has faced thousands of lawsuits over asbestos use in its auto parts, especially brakes and clutches. Experts found Ford brake linings contained 40% to 60% chrysotile asbestos, which mechanics could release into the air during grinding or sanding.

Notable Ford Lawsuits

$14.3 million: A Baltimore jury in 1996 awarded damages to the widows of Keith Grewe and Nollie Wood. Both men developed mesothelioma after exposure to Ford brake linings and replacement parts.

$8.2 million: A New Orleans jury in 2021 awarded Steven Aaron Sr., a gas station and school bus mechanic who repaired Ford brakes and clutches in the 1960s and 1970s. He later developed mesothelioma.

$6.8 million: A California jury in 2012 awarded Pat Scott and his wife, Sharon. Scott spent decades repairing cars, including many Fords, before being diagnosed with mesothelioma at age 69.

$4.6 million: A Tennessee jury in 2015 awarded Joyce and Ronnie Stockton. Joyce developed mesothelioma after washing her husband’s asbestos-covered work clothes when he repaired Ford brakes.

In some cases, juries awarded substantial damages to mechanics and their families. For example, a New York jury awarded $8 million to Arthur Juni for pain and suffering and $3 million to his widow for loss of consortium. A judge later overturned the verdict, and an appeals court upheld that decision, disagreeing with the jury’s finding that there was sufficient evidence linking Ford’s products to Juni’s mesothelioma.

In 2025, a New York appeals court disagreed with Ford and ruled in favor of Joseph Skrzynski, a former parts department employee at a Lincoln-Ford-Mercury dealership. Skrzynski worked at the dealership from 1975 to 1980 and was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021. The court found he was exposed to asbestos daily while handling brake and clutch parts and being near mechanics performing repairs, despite Ford’s argument that he wasn’t a technician.

Ford and Asbestos Safety Citations 

Ford received eight serious violations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to follow asbestos and respiratory protection rules at its Buffalo, New York, plant. The violations included exposing a pipefitter to asbestos-containing materials while repairing a steam pipe. OSHA defines a serious violation as one where “there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.”

The company was fined $41,800 in 2013. “Employers should aim at working with their employees to identify, address and eliminate hazards before they occur,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York, in a Ford press release. 

A few years later, amid ongoing asbestos lawsuits, Ford funded studies on the link between brake work and mesothelioma through consulting firms Exponent and Cardno ChemRisk. A 2016 report from The Center for Public Integrity noted these studies produced mixed findings. 

Researchers and court records, however, show more than 100 doctors and scientists worldwide have testified that asbestos in brakes can cause mesothelioma. John Dement, a Duke University professor who has studied asbestos risks for more than 40 years, said the consulting firms “published a lot, but they’ve really produced no new science.”

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