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Due to their reliability, endurance, and fast consumer service, Ford has a large number of customer chains worldwide that blindly use and trust their automobiles. But during the following last year, cars, whether they belonged to Ford, Hyundai, Toyota, or any other company, frequently seemed to have manufacturing defaults that were even unrepairable due to their hefty price tag, leading to protested recalls the manufacturer and dealers from customers again.
Similarly, Ford, who was sued first in 2019 for deploying defective and catastrophic water pumps in certain Duratec V6 engines. The court later dismissed the lawsuit, but in January 2022, a similar class action was filed again in the Supreme Court of Canada and the US district court. Ford is a well-known automaker, so such a practice is likely unexpected for every customer. To top it off, Ford has consistently denied any complaints regarding faulty water pumps in its vehicles. Let’s have a look at what the scenario was!
Filing The First Lawsuit: What Had Happened?
Water pumps and their safety are critical since they may cause severe damage to the vehicle’s engines, which can lead to major accidents. As a result, after seeing no signs of recalls, a Ford owner filed the first lawsuit against the company. Mark Militello said that the company was aware of the manufacturing defect in the water pump but did not bother to execute any recalls for its customers to recompense for the mechanical problems.
Hundreds of automobiles have been equipped with the flawed Cyclone Engine, which has a broken internal water pump. The primary flaw was in the design, which caused the engine to fail unexpectedly when it should have lasted at least 150,000 miles but did not. Because the pump is located inside the engine block, this problem might result in a costly replacement or an accident for the customer.
Mark further claimed that the defective water pump might have been found in vehicles manufactured between 2007 and 2020. But, Ford rejected all claims that the water pumps do not need to be checked or fixed. However, when routine maintenance is carried out on the Class Vehicles, the water pump is hidden from visibility and inspection due to its internal placement within the engine.
What Was The Lawsuit About?
Since the water pump is connected to the crankshaft and is positioned in the engine’s center section, coolant leaks straight into the oil bucket. The coolant leak causes the engine to overheat and seize, prompting a new purchase. An overheated engine results in a blown head gasket, which causes the engine to underperform, worsening the heating condition.
Aside from that, whining or irritating noises can be heard from the engine owing to a poor fit of the water pump’s pulley, which grows worse when the car is accelerated, causing direct engine damage. The complaint further said that mixing coolant and oils is a contributing factor to engine failure. This implies that the engine will no longer be able to lubricate its internal parts properly and will also fail to keep the engine at a fixed temperature.
The class action was filed in a federal court in New York on October 5th, claiming violations of state consumer laws. In addition, according to the lawsuit, car owners who own defective vehicles are not informed that replacing the defective component is expensive, even if the whole engine is not destroyed. It’s just because the engine’s pump is relatively difficult to install.
The Final Class-Action Settlement
Mark Militello further discussed while filing the accusation that Ford has no proper warranties or any correct durational limits that can compensate for this defect. They already knew that the pump failure would occur right after the warranty period ended, clearly representing their negligence. But they kept on equipping the Duratec V6 engine to its vehicles which is the biggest factor behind the malfunctioning.
He prosecuted the automakers on account of everyone in New York who bought one of the damaged vehicles from a Ford dealer. This endeavor was solely for the purpose of obtaining certification, trial, or compensatory price from the company. Militello filed a lawsuit against the corporation under New York consumer protection legislation as well as New York General Business Law breaches. The idea behind the lawsuit was to ensure that the engine and water pump within the vehicles should last a long time or have an appropriate warranty period, so the customers won’t have to go through the hassle of maintenance and consistent repairs.
Later, in February, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice authorized the water pump lawsuit against Ford because the water pump problem was rising. However, most of the claims have not been approved by the court since they appear unneeded to them. The Supreme Court judge did permit a class action for design error, but only if the water pump failed, the car was damaged, or the customer was harmed. The water pump failure was found in several Ford vehicle models, including the Ford Edge, Flex, Fusion, Explorer, Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln Continental, and many others. All these vehicles were built from 2007 to 2020.
What Should You Do If You Found Any Manufacturing Defaults In Your Car?
If the same manufacturing faults have been discovered in a large number of cars, recalls have been issued by the automobile company. But if the company doesn’t initiate any recall, people are eligible to file a lawsuit against them. Aside from that, if you want to know whether the car company is issuing the recall, check out the NHTSA website. You will find detailed information that is needed to follow up on recalls.
Experienced attorneys at the Lemon firm have successfully recovered compensation for our clients who were sold a vehicle with manufacturer defects. We can help you too. Call (833) Lemon-firm to speak with a Lemon Law expert today.