15 passenger vans, including the Ford Econoline, the Ford E250, the Ford E350, the Chevrolet/GMC Express Van, the Chevrolet/GMC G3500, and the Dodge 1500/3500 van are popular with schools, churches, community groups and shuttle services. However, despite their popularity, 15 passenger vans have well-documented handling and stability problems and pose a extremely high rollover risk. This is especially true when the van is heavily loaded with occupants and cargo. Unfortunately, occupants are often catastrophically injured or killed during a 15 passenger van rollover. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has serious and ongoing concerns about 15-passenger vans. As a result, the agency has issued consumer advisories for users of 15-passenger vans three separate times in the past four years.

In a new research report related to improper tire maintenance on 15 passenger vans, a NHTSA study found that 74 percent of all 15-passenger vans had significantly mis-inflated tires. NHTSA research has consistently shown that improperly inflated tires can change handling characteristics, increasing the prospect of a rollover crash in 15-passenger vans. In comparison, 39 percent of passenger cars were found with significant inflation problems. 

Previous NHTSA research demonstrates that 15 passenger vans have a rollover risk that dramatically increases when the number of vehicle occupants increases from fewer than five to more than ten. In fact, 15 passenger vans with ten or more occupants had a rollover rate in single vehicle crashes that is triple the rate of those vans that were transporting fewer than five occupants.

Currently, federal law prohibits the sale of 15 passenger vans for the school-related transport of high school age and younger students. However, no such prohibition exists for vehicles to transport college students or other passengers.

If you, a family member, or a friend has been involved in a 15 passenger van accident, please contact the law firm of Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg & Jeck.