Ford, one of the most iconic brands in the automotive world, the well-known blue oval, is now facing a new scandal. Another one? Another one. It is now about its EcoBoost V6 engine, which is in the centre of attention (and class-action lawsuits!) due to a problem that could put the safety of its drivers at risk. What has happened to Ford this time?
The EcoBoost V6: it didn’t turn out as expected
This engine was presented as the solution to all our problems, it was capable of combining power with efficient fuel consumption, used in the Ford F-150, Bronco and Explorer models, so far everything seemed fine.
But, the intake valves came with a manufacturing defect, what happens with this? First it destroys the engine, but it also causes the vehicle to lose power while in motion.
Which are the affected vehicles:
- Ford Bronco
- Ford Edge
- Ford Explorer
- Ford F-150
- Lincoln Navigator
- Lincoln Aviator
All manufactured between 2021 and 2022.
And the lawsuit? Why?
Two affected users have claimed that Ford never informed them about this defect when they bought their vehicles, both of them, in fact, claim that they would not have bought these models if they had known about the problem beforehand (or that they would have paid less).
Thus, they have resorted to the Car Lemon Law of the United States, which protects buyers who buy vehicles without knowing that they are damaged or defective.
What is the Car Lemon Law?
Cars that come with defects are known in the United States as “lemons”, and this law allows those affected to demand an adequate repair, a refund or even a replacement of the vehicle.
In this specific case, the plaintiffs are seeking more than 5 million dollars in compensation arguing that Ford has not taken the appropriate actions to solve this problem.
How has Ford responded?
By issuing a recall on affected vehicles and offering free inspections, and, if necessary, replacing defective engines, but many believe that the solutions came too late and when the damage was already done, so that is why they proceeded with a class action lawsuit, and, although it will now be up to a court to make the right decision for them, many people in the motoring community believe that the class action lawsuit is somewhat “excessive” because they do not have any valid basis (nor sufficient facts) to support a claim such as the one they are making.
More EcoBoost problems
This is not the first time that Ford’s EcoBoost has faced legal problems. In previous years, the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine was also at the point of a multi-million dollar lawsuit for serious problems including fires, or engine jams like what happened to O’Riordan (who was almost killed by an engine problem that caused the vehicle to stall). What is happening to the EcoBoost?
This engine, which seemed to revolutionise the market, is only revolutionising the courtrooms with so much demand, and what it is generating is that Ford’s image is plummeting, and, above all, that the empire of innovation and reliability that they have spent years building has collapsed like a house of cards. We’ll have to wait and see how Ford recovers after so many lawsuits and so many engine failures. Will they roar back to normal or is this the beginning of a decline?