Would you go back to work for a manager that fired you without examining all the evidence?  How long are you going to last?  They will be looking now for any reason to fire him again.   I understand your point of view, however, you are not looking at the entire situation.  Despite the apologies and back pay, the employee suffered harm, reputational, career, and emotional.  His family also suffered.  Despite the offer for reinstatement, going back at the point that the offer was made was too little too late as he had already found another job with presumably a management team that wasn't keen on firing people without examining all the evidence.   He will get a nice settlement, above and beyond the initial backpay.  Ford's lawyers know this, they don't have a leg to stand on.  They in essence created a hostile work environment, set up to trap employees with known faulty equipment and surveillance cameras that only looked at one machine.  The management team knew or should have known what they were doing.  At this point for Ford it is damage control and trying to make these cases go away as quietly as possible.  I would also think that several of the people in the chain, involved in the firings, would be moved out of their positions, asked to resign, or terminated.

That was my thought as well.   To be fair, the current Ridgeline doesn't really have the buttress either.

What?!?! Not google share links and then tell me what to search for on my own browser? 

So basically a Passport without the flying buttress design on the bed    

Sounds like your conflating info with the Bronco and Escape and not the Bronco Sport.   The Bronco Sport is very similar in size to the Escape outside of length. The interior room (in the front seats) is just about identical but IMO the Bronco Sport has better layout to the dash-I hate the start button location on the Escape. 

Looks like Ford is going to be leaning into its Ford Custom Garage-See the Maverick SV300T thread also   AUTOS Ford wants more customers to customize vehicles to boost profits as it eyes ‘Nike shoe drop’ moments   https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-custom-garage-bronco-desert-rising-edition   https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-custom-garage-shortcut-to-customization    

Its not an official factory trim, it appears its part of the Ford Custom Garage https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-custom-garage-shortcut-to-customization  

We're down to 2 kids at home, and they don't want to go with us much anymore.  I'll still by the crew cab for 2 reasons: it's nice to have the room for stuff in the back while traveling, and that's the only way I can get a Lariat or higher trim!  

I agree, what they did was likely wrong, but if the original evidence (or lack thereof) showed he did it, then they found out otherwise, apologized and admitted the error, and then gave his job back, there's really not grounds to sue in my opinion.   Mistakes happen.  Yes, people (and companies) should be held accountable, but the world has gotten out of hand for suing people for way too much money for non-malicious-intent mistakes.  A simple apology (a very public apology to clear his name) should be acceptable here IMO.

GM also has the issue of some of their trucks are coming from Mexico, which cutting into profits.