There are plenty of Ford Class Action lawsuit updates as well as other Ford “legal” news – read on for updates on various Ford legal proceedings –

MyFord Touch” is a class action claim and settlement process that affects certain owners of Ford and Lincoln vehicles sold or leased before August 9, 2013.  This class action suit centers around the defects encountered when attempting to use the devices, which include unresponsiveness to voice commands, errors in driving directions, and general freezes and software crashes.   The states that are included in this lawsuit include California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Washington.  Information on the status of this lawsuit can be found here.

Compensation for those who successfully submit valid claims ranges from $45-$400.

In other Ford news, the company announced earlier that certain Ford Explorer models have been recalled due to reports of injuries occurring from rough edges on the seats.  Some 300,000 units, from the 2017 Explorer model year are being recalled due to some seat frames having sharp edges, the company said in a press release.

This affects only Ford Explorers equipped with power seats, the automaker said, further adding that owners should avoid contact with the seat frame edge until a repair is completed by dealers. To fix the problem, Ford dealers will install tape (!) to the exposed edge at no charge to owners.

If you have questions about these or any other Ford Class action lawsuits, including the PowerShift transmission settlement, please call us at 916-672-8443 for a complimentary consultation regarding your rights.

Don’t want your vehicle seats taped up?  Having other Ford problems?  Please remember: if you have a vehicle which is under the manufacturer’s warranty, you are entitled to fair treatment and getting your problem fixed in a timely manner.  If not, you might qualify for a repurchase or refund on your vehicle.  It helps to understand your rights as a consumer, and the California Lemon Law expert is here to help you or someone you may know who is in this situation. If your vehicle is not functioning properly and is under warranty, you have rights under the law that you need to thoroughly understand. Call us today for a free, no charge consultation at 916-672-8443.

Ford Motor Co recently announced that it will recall 1.34 million 2015-17 Ford F-150 and 2017 Ford Super Duty trucks in North America to add water shields to side door latches at a cost of $267 million.  Ford said the safety recall is due to a latch which can freeze, or a bent or kinked actuation cable in the affected vehicles, that may result in a door not opening or closing.  Customers are to be notified next month but did not have a timetable for when parts will be available.  Dealers supposedly will install water shields over the door latches and inspect and repair door latch cables if needed.

Ford has now recalled more than 5 million vehicles for many different door latch-related issues since 2016.  Also, this new recall is different from prior ones.  Ford communicated to its dealers warning that some 2015-2017 Ford F-150 trucks could have inoperative latches during freezing temperatures and suggested installing a water shield to circumvent the problem.  The company said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with the issue but said because of the fault, the door may appear closed, increasing the risk of the door opening while driving.

Ford previously recalled approximately 4 million vehicles for door latch issues in six separate recalls since 2014, including 2.4 million vehicles recalled in August 2016.  In September 2016, Ford said it was taking a $640 million charge for its expanded side-door latch recalls.

Please remember : if you have a vehicle AND it is under the manufacturer’s warranty, you are entitled to fair treatment and getting the problem fixed in a timely manner. In many cases, the manufacturer will repurchase your vehicle, and may even have to pay civil penalties and or reimbursement of your expenses. It helps to understand your rights as a consumer, and the California Lemon Law expert is here to help you or someone you may know who is in this situation. If your vehicle is not functioning properly and is under warranty, you have rights under the law that you need to thoroughly understand. Call us today for a free, no charge consultation at 916-672-8443.

Ford F-150 built between the years of 2013-2018 are equipped with master cylinders supplied by Hitachi.  Ford previously used master cylinders manufactured by Bosch.

The Hitachi master cylinders have pistons fitted with a single cup seal responsible for containing pressurized brake fluid.  Normally master cylinders are usually fitted with two cup seals to ensure that fluid does not leak out of the master cylinders.  When master cylinders lose their brake fluid, front brakes can suddenly fail.  This may cause the vehicle to fail to stop, or rolling through stops signs, and even roll into objects.

According to a lawsuit that was recently filed, pistons fitted with a single cup seal is unusual.  Pistons in master cylinders are normally made with two cup seals thus ensuring that fluid does not leak out of the master cylinders. https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/ford-f-150-master-cylinder-problems-lawsuit.shtml  Master cylinders made by Hitachi supposedly place twice the sealing loads on its single piston cup seals.  Plaintiffs in the lawsuit claim the design moves the usual placement of the cup seal from the piston to the master cylinder’s bore where the single cup seal rests in a groove made into the bore of the master cylinder.

The plaintiffs also allege this defect involves failure of the piston cup seals.  The seals roll and become removed from their grooves and losing the seal.  That allows pressurized brake fluid to escape from the master cylinder and back toward the brake booster.  The lawsuit also claims that Ford knew about this danger and concealed this from the truck owners.

A preliminary investigation was opened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) regarding reports of brake fluid leaking into master cylinders in 2013-1014 Ford F-150s with 3.5 liter engines. Ford issued a recall in May of 2016 for loss of front brakes in these trucks.  http://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2016/ford-f-150-brake-failures-master-cylinder.shtml  But the truck owners that filed the recent lawsuit state this did not include all 2013-2014 trucks or the 2015-2018 F-150s that use the same master cylinders.  The plaintiffs are also claiming that the recall remedy replaced the defective master cylinders with the same defective master cylinders.

 

Please remember : if you have a vehicle AND it is under the manufacturer’s warranty, you are entitled to fair treatment and getting the problem fixed in a timely manner. In many cases, the manufacturer will repurchase your vehicle, and may even have to pay civil penalties and or reimbursement of your expenses. It helps to understand your rights as a consumer, and the California Lemon Law expert is here to help you or someone you may know who is in this situation. If your vehicle is not functioning properly and is under warranty, you have rights under the law that you need to thoroughly understand. Call us today for a free, no charge consultation at 916-672-8443.