Doublespeak (Rebel Reads Book 1)

by William Lutz

In its letter, Ford said that the rear axle bearings of the cars “can deteriorate” and went on to say “Continued driving with a failed bearing could result in disengagement of the axle shaft and adversely affect vehicle control.” This is the language of nonresponsibility. What are “mechanical deficiencies”—poor design, bad workmanship? The rear axle bearings “can deteriorate,” but will they deteriorate? If they do deteriorate, what causes the deterioration? Note that “continued driving” is the subject of the sentence, which suggests that it is not Ford’s poor manufacturing that is at fault but the driver who insists on driving the defective car. Note, too, the expression “failed bearing,” which implies that the bearing failed, not Ford. Finally, the phrase “adversely affect vehicle control” means simply that, because of the mechanical defect, the driver could lose control of the car and get killed.