F-Series is the long-standing best-selling vehicle in the U.S., which means that potentially big settlements and fees are involved.
An Ohio couple who own a Ford Taurus SHO and an F-150 have filed a class action lawsuit that claims the EcocBoost engine intercooler and intake system design is defective and prone to sudden failure. The suit mirrors one filed last February in another jurisdiction alleging the same thing, asking for $500 million in damages. These legal matters are now looking like just the beginnings of potentially prolonged and image-damaging actions about Ford’s claimed fuel economy breakthrough with the downsized EcoBoost engine. (Class Action Suit Filed Against F-150 EcoBoost Engines for Stalling)
Both suits allege that 2011 and 2012 model F-150 trucks with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine contain a dangerous defect that causes the vehicles to shake violently, shudder and stall when drivers attempt to accelerate. Ford issued several service bulletins to dealers about the problem, but not to owners, before redesigning the intake system for the 2013 model year. Owners of older models are facing costly repairs.
Attorneys say that when F-150 drivers accelerate that moisture is forced into the engine, causing the vehicle to shudder. In severe cases, the F-150’s computer controls put the engine into “limp mode,” cutting power to prevent damage. The lawsuits against Ford seeks to provide compensation to all current or former owners and/or lessees of model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 vehicles. Hundreds of thousands of Ford vehicles are potentially affected.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
