Ford slapped with a class action lawsuit for engine defects

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Ford Motor Company for allegedly selling trucks with engine defects and concealing the problems to avoid paying for the repair costs under warranty. Six consumers brought the lawsuit on behalf of all current owners of 2004-2008 Ford trucks equipped with 5.4L engines having less than 80,000 miles. Jason Schmidt et al. v. Ford Motor Co.

The Ford 5.4L engine is said to have design or manufacturing defects that cause the vehicle to accelerate, hesitate and lose power, causing sudden dangerous deceleration issues.

The plaintiffs allege that Ford knew about the defects from 2005 through 2012, and cite an August 2008 technical service bulletin to Ford dealers that addressed the problem and how to fix it. Ford, however, decided not to alert consumers. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that Ford Motors intentionally omitted from telling consumers so that they would not have to cover the costs of the repairs.

The plaintiffs are seeking out-of-pocket replacement/repair costs, diminution in value of the class vehicles that is attributable to the engine defects, damages, injunctive relief and more for alleged breach of express and implied warranty, common law fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and violations of state consumer protection statutes.

If you have bought a defective vehicle that qualifies for California’s Lemon Law protection, please give my office, The Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman a call today at (877) 449-8898 for a free consultation.