This class action alleges that certain Ford Motor Company Escape and Bronco vehicles with 1.5L engines have defective fuel injectors that can crack and leak gasoline, which may then catch fire. It also claims Ford took more than a year to issue a recall, and that the “fix” offered does not address the cracking problem but simply drains off the leaked gasoline so that it is less likely to catch fire and instead runs out onto roadways and garage floors.
A nationwide class and three state subclasses have been proposed for this action:
- The Nationwide Class is all persons or entities who bought or leased 2020-2023 Ford Escape or 2021-2023 Ford Bronco Sport vehicles.
- The Massachusetts, New York, and West Virginia Subclasses are all persons or entities who bought or leased one or more of the vehicles at issue in this case in those respective states.
The basis of the problem, the complaint alleges, is that the fuel injectors in these vehicles may crack: “Cracked fuel injectors in the engine allow[] for fuel to leak at a rate as high as 19 liters per hour into the cylinder head, which can travel out via a drain hole and down onto the exhaust and turbo system, resulting in under hood fires[.]”
According to the complaint, the leaking fuel or its vapors can cause the vehicle to catch fire while it’s in operation, posing a risk of injury or death to the occupants of the vehicle and people and property nearby.
Ford had reports about these fires as far back as 2020, the complaint alleges, but did not tell customers about the risk, either before or after they bought or leased the vehicles. Instead, the complaint claims, the company “misrepresented the vehicles’ safety, reliability, functionality, and quality” of the vehicles.
Ford finally issued a recall, but the complaint alleges that the “fix” offered does not solve the cracking problem. Instead, the complaint alleges, Ford does two things to the vehicles. First, the complaint claims, it “update[s] engine control software to detect a pressure drop in the fuel rail and provide messaging to the driver to seek service as well as to derate engine power output and reduce temperatures of possible ignition sources[.]” Second, it “install[s] a drain tube to allow fuel to drain from the cylinder head drain hole to the ground below the vehicle.”
The complaint contends that these fixes do not resolve the underlying issue and that Ford says that “the root cause is still under investigation.” In fact, the complaint insists that the leaking of fuel “creates an environmental hazard” that can cause property damage or injury in the future.
To date, the complaint alleges, reports have come in of at least fifty-four under-hood fires.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Automobile
Most Recent Case Event
Ford Escape, Bronco Cracked Fuel Injector Fires Complaint
February 17, 2023
This class action alleges that certain Ford Motor Company Escape and Bronco vehicles with 1.5L engines have defective fuel injectors that can crack and leak gasoline, which may then catch fire. It also claims Ford took more than a year to issue a recall, and that the “fix” offered does not address the cracking problem but simply drains off the leaked gasoline so that it is less likely to catch fire and instead runs out onto roadways and garage floors.
Ford Escape, Bronco Cracked Fuel Injector Fires ComplaintCase Event History
Ford Escape, Bronco Cracked Fuel Injector Fires Complaint
February 17, 2023
This class action alleges that certain Ford Motor Company Escape and Bronco vehicles with 1.5L engines have defective fuel injectors that can crack and leak gasoline, which may then catch fire. It also claims Ford took more than a year to issue a recall, and that the “fix” offered does not address the cracking problem but simply drains off the leaked gasoline so that it is less likely to catch fire and instead runs out onto roadways and garage floors.
Ford Escape, Bronco Cracked Fuel Injector Fires Complaint