2021 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator Under-Hood Fires Class Action

Early on, the complaint for this class action quotes the advertising for the Ford Motor Company’s 2021 Lincoln Navigator: “Every aspect of the Navigator experience is designed with your serenity in mind.” But owners of the 2021 Navigator, and of another Ford vehicle, the 2021 Ford Expedition, may find this somewhat ironic because, the complaint alleges, due to a defect, both vehicles have a possibility of bursting into flames under their hoods.

The Nationwide Class for this action is all persons in the US who bought or leased a class vehicle for personal use and not for resale. The class vehicles are 2021 Ford Expeditions and 2021 Lincoln Navigators built between July 27, 2020 and August 31, 2021.

Originally, when Ford first became aware of the fires, the complaint alleges, it said little about the fires other than that “investigation is ongoing at this time.” According to the complaint, Ford also advised, “You should park your vehicle outside away from structures and other property immediately.”

Ford has issued a recall for both vehicles, submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on May 17, 2022. The complaint claims that both “may erupt in fire under the hood” and alleges, “The risk of fire is present regardless of whether the ignition is turned on or off.”

If a vehicle cannot be parked outside and away from structures and other property, the complaint alleges that Ford has advised that the “negative battery cable should be disconnected and securely positioned to the side[,]” a process that the complaint describes as applying four layers of electrical tape over the end of the cable and using a plastic tie strap to keep the cable in a safe positioning. Of course, the complaint contends, the disconnection of this cable means the vehicle can no longer be operated, making it useless.

Ford, the complaint alleges, announced on July 8, 2022 that it believed it had found both the cause of the fires and a remedy. But the remedy involves the particular vehicle’s cooling fan system, and the complaint claims that, “according to Ford, parts needed to repair approximately two-thirds of the vehicles will not be available until September 2022.” Even after the parts are available, the complaint claims, the repairs must still be done on the vehicles.

The complaint alleges that Ford knew or should have known of the defect, from quality control and pre-sale testing. Still, the complaint claims, Ford went ahead and sold the vehicles without warning customers about the problem.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Automobile
Tags: Defective Automobile, Fire