PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A Florida man has filed a civil complaint in Palm Beach County against Ford Motor Company and Ford of Kendall LLC, alleging that a seatbelt component in his 2019 Ford Expedition Max exploded without impact and caused permanent hearing loss.
The lawsuit, Justin Vanderwiele v. Ford Motor Company and Ford of Kendall LLC, Case No. 502026CA005455XXXAMB, was filed May 14, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida. The complaint lists Michael A. Caruso as Palm Beach County Clerk.
Vanderwiele is represented by Vastola Legal of Stuart, according to the complaint. No defense law firm is listed in the filing.
The complaint seeks damages in excess of $50,000 and names Ford Motor Company, described in the filing as a foreign profit corporation licensed to do business in Florida, and Ford of Kendall LLC, described as a limited liability company licensed to do business in Florida.
According to the complaint, Vanderwiele purchased a 2019 Ford Expedition Max from Ford of Kendall on June 25, 2022. The dealership is listed in the complaint at 15551 S. Dixie Highway in Miami. The vehicle is identified in the filing by VIN 1FMJK1LT9KEA08383.
The complaint alleges that Ford manufactured the vehicle and that Ford of Kendall was involved in ordering, inspecting, selling and distributing vehicles, including the Expedition Max at issue.
Vanderwiele claims that on Sept. 24, 2024, he was injured when the front seatbelt pretensioner in the vehicle “exploded without impact or reason.” The complaint alleges that he suffered permanent hearing loss.
The filing also claims that Ford issued Safety Recall Notice 24S6, also listed as NHTSA Recall 24V099, on Feb. 12, 2024, for a front seatbelt retractor date code inspection involving the 2019 Ford Expedition Max series of vehicles. According to the complaint, the front seatbelt retractor at issue caused injury when the seatbelt retractor pretensioner deployed inadvertently and failed to operate in a safe, non-defective manner.
The complaint brings multiple claims against Ford Motor Company and Ford of Kendall, including negligence, negligent failure to warn, strict liability for design and/or manufacturing defect, strict liability for failure to warn, breach of express warranty and breach of implied warranty of merchantability.
In the negligence counts, Vanderwiele claims the defendants failed to inspect the vehicle, provided a vehicle assembled in a non-workmanlike manner and failed to provide appropriate warnings about particular risks allegedly involved in the reasonably foreseeable use of the vehicle.
In the strict liability counts, the complaint alleges the vehicle was defective in design and/or manufacturing and was unreasonably dangerous when used in a regular and reasonably foreseeable manner. The filing also alleges the vehicle reached Vanderwiele without substantial alteration from the condition in which it was designed and manufactured.
The warranty claims allege the vehicle did not conform to representations made in connection with its sale and was not reasonably fit for its intended or reasonably foreseeable uses.
Vanderwiele claims he suffered bodily injury, pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, medical expenses, lost earnings and loss of ability to earn money. He is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, costs and any other relief the court deems proper.
The allegations are claims made by the plaintiff in a civil complaint. They have not been proven in court.
The original complaint, Justin Vanderwiele v. Ford Motor Company and Ford of Kendall LLC, Case No. 502026CA005455XXXAMB, as filed May 14, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed here.
Palm Beach County court records show civil complaints filed throughout the year. Boca Post tracks those filings in our Boca Raton lawsuits coverage.
