Dallas County, Texas - The family of 27-year-old Dylan Stevenson has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ford Motor Company and three Texas dealerships—Town East Ford II, LLC, Pellet Performance & Off-Road, LLC, and Tyler Ford, Ltd.—claiming that design and manufacturing defects in his 2016 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium’s battery system caused his death.
The plaintiffs, Earl and Sherry-Lynn Stevenson of Collin County, Texas, filed the case both individually and on behalf of the Estate of their son, who died on his birthday, September 5, 2025.
According to the complaint, Dylan Stevenson was found unresponsive inside his 2016 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium in the parking lot of a restaurant in Plano, Texas. First responders broke into the vehicle and rushed him to a hospital, where he later pronounced dead. Forensic findings determined that Dylan suffered fatal exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas leaking from the car’s battery. The lawsuit alleges that defects in the design and manufacture of the battery made it unreasonably dangerous, and that Ford failed to properly warn consumers about the risk. It also brings negligence claims against the dealerships that serviced the vehicle.
“Dylan was looking forward to meeting a date but did not even make it out of his car because of the poison gas from its battery. Instead, a preventable defect turned his vehicle into a toxic and deadly environment,” Gerald Singleton, Managing Partner of Singleton Schreiber and attorney for the Stevenson family. “No parent should ever have to endure the loss of a child due to failures in design, manufacturing, and basic warnings that could have saved a life.”
The family seeks damages for Dylan’s medical care, funeral costs, lost future earnings, emotional suffering, and punitive damages for the companies’ reckless disregard for sa[TIELfety. The lawsuit was filed In the District Court of Dallas County, Texas Judicial District, DC-25-20477.
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Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm, focusing on mass torts/multi-district litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, insurance bad faith, tribal law, and sex abuse/trafficking. Home to the nation’s largest fire litigation practice, the firm has represented over 30,000 wildfire and explosion victims caused by utilities, government negligence, railroads, and corporate misconduct. Its nationally recognized team has played a leading role in high-profile cases including the 2025 Eaton Fire, 2025 Moss Landing Battery Fire, 2025 Esparto Fireworks Explosion, 2023 Maui Fires, and is also actively litigating wildfire cases throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oregon, and Washington. They are also pursuing groundbreaking litigation against Tesla for misrepresenting their autopilot system, which recently resulted in a historic verdict. Additionally, the firm advocates for survivors of abuse involving hotel chains in California and Washington. With deep experience in complex claims, the firm is committed to helping individuals, families, and communities recover and rebuild.
