Ford Ecoboost Engines Coolant Leaks and Fires Arkansas Class Action

The complaint for this class action brings suit against Ford Motor Company for vehicles equipped with its 1.5L, 1.6L, or 2.0L Ecoboost engines. The complaint alleges that the engines leak coolant into the cylinders, which can cause the engine to overheat, completely fail, or catch fire.

The class for this action is all citizens of Arkansas who bought or leased one of the following vehicles:

• 2013-2019 Ford Escapes
• 2015-2019 Ford Edges
• 2017-2019 Lincoln MKCs
• 2017-2019 Lincoln MKZs

Ecoboost engines are gasoline-fueled, turbo-charged, and direct-injection. The name comes from their Ford’s intent, the complaint says, to offer them “as a low-emission, fuel-efficient alternative to hybrid and electric vehicles.”

The complaint suggests that the leakage problem “is the result of the design of the Ecoboost Engine’s block and cylinder head, and an inadequate seal on the cylinder head.” It alleges, Engine coolant then stays in the engine, rather than circulating through to the radiator.

This has two negative effects, the complaint says: The coolant pools in the engine where it can damage its components. Also, this leaves less coolant for cooling purposes, so that the engine may overheat. This, the complaint says, can cause “the engine and its part to crack, warp, corrode, lose oil viscosity, wear down prematurely, and catch on fire.”

The complaint relates two incidents involving vehicles with the Ecoboost engine, allegedly taken from the files of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• In August 2017, a Ford Edge, the complaint claims, “became engulfed in flames within minutes while he was stopped on the side of the highway.”
• Also, the complaint quotes the files as saying that a man’s vehicle “went dead while in motion going 75 miles per hour” in June 2020, and that he and his five-year-old daughter were stuck by the side of the road for four hours. He was later told, he said, that the vehicle’s “entire engine needs to be replaced” and that this was “a common problem on the Ecoboost 2.0L engine.”

The complaint alleges that Ford has not offered customers a real fix for the problem. While it issued a recall for other vehicles equipped with 1.6L GDTI engines, the “remedy” was the installation of a coolant level sensor. The complaint alleges, “The Recall did not mention the risk of engine fire or failures.” Furthermore, the installation of a coolant level sensor is inadequate because it does not stop the coolant from leaking.

While Ford has since recalled other vehicles, the complaint alleges, it has yet to recall the full range of vehicles equipped with Ecoboost engines and has not solved the underlying problem.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Automobile
Tags: Defective Automobile, Engine Defects, Fire, Leakage