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A class action lawsuit filed in Texas District Court accuses Ford Motor Co. of profiting off of defective spark plugs.
Plaintiff Joshua Brewer claims in the Ford spark plug class action lawsuit that he purchased a 2006 Ford F150 that had defective sparks that cannot be readily removed when they need to be replaced. The class action lawsuit claims that when the defective spark plugs are removed, it causes damage to the spark plug and to the engine because part of the plug remains in the cylinder head.
Brewer alleges in the Ford defective spark plug class action that the defect has resulted in class members spending excessive amounts of money to change out spark plugs. Brewer says he was charged $800 to change out five spark plugs in his F150, nearly three times the normal cost of replacement.
Ford is accused in the class action lawsuit of not conducting sufficient recalls, failing to disclose known defects in the engines, failing to effectively repair or replace the engines or parts, and failing to reimburse.
The affected Ford vehicles that contain the allegedly defective Ford spark plugs include:
- 2005-2008 Ford Mustang
- 2004-2008 Ford F-150
- 2005-2008 Ford F-Super Duty Expedition
- 2006-2008 Ford Explorer
- F-53 Ford Motorhome Chassis
- 2007-2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
- 2005-2008 Lincoln Navigator
- 2006-2008 Lincoln Mark LT
- 2006-2008 Mercury Mountaineer
The Ford spark plug class action lawsuit is seeking damages for out-of-pocket expenses related to the cost to replace the spark plugs, deductibles paid when repairs were covered by warranty, diminution in value of the subject vehicles, economic losses, attorney’s fees, interest and court costs. It is alleging negligence, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, breach of express warranty and unjust enrichment against Ford.
The case is Joshua Brewer v. Ford Motor Co., Case No. 1:11-cv-00222, Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division.
UPDATE: On June 5, 2015, Ford agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the spark plug defect class action lawsuit.
UPDATE 2: Claim filing instructions for the Ford spark plug class action settlement are now available! Click here or visit www.FordSparkPlugSettlement.com for details.
127 thoughts onDefective Ford Spark Plug Class Action Lawsuit
For those of you like #26 Leslie: I too had a check engine light on my 2005 F150 and it was coughing and spitting when I hit the accelerator. Codes suggested a bad catalytic converter which I had replaced…no help. It got really bad after using Sam’s Club gas so I added Gumout Octane booster and to my surprise the truck started running like it was brand-new. After a week or two the check engine light went off! So now I add octane booster or fuel injection cleaner every oil change.
I have spent the last 10 years running independent auto repair shops. Yes, this is a well known issue of Ford 5.4l engines. My shop has found a way to work around this problem. We actually got the information from the local Fors dealer.
When it is time to replace the spark plugs, drive the vehicle and make sure it is at normal operating temperature. Immediately take it to the shop of your choice and have them perform a fuel system cleaning. This process normally costs around $150. This process will remove the carbon build up that is in the combustion chambers of the engine that serve to “glue” the spark plugs in. Once this service is completed, the technician will need to spray some form of lubricating spray around the spark plugs. We use Sea Foam Deep Creep. Allow the vehicle to sit over night. The following morning, take out the spark plugs, turning them very slowly and evenly. Since we have started using this procedure, we have not broke a single spark plug in these engines.
If a spark plug does happen to break, most technicians already the requires tool to safely remove the remaining pieces. Many different manufacturers make this tool now. I know for a fact that Napa and Carquest sell the tool. Once you have the tool (about $80 or so to buy) then just simply follow the directions and remove the spark plug.
I agree that Ford should have done some type of recall, however that is not the case. I hope that my advice can help some of the posts that I have read about trucks sitting in the driveway or even help some who still haven’t changed tear plugs yet.
Thanks for the above information. I will try your procedure as I am about to replace the plugs in my 2006 ford 150.
I am not supporting Ford but just reminding everyone that a RECALL is under the Federal Govt. as a SAFETY issue. Exploding gas tanks, faulty seat belts roll over issues etc.. A class action suit is the best way to address this, Ford cannot be forced into a RECALL for a non safety related issue.
PLEASE! Can I join this class action lawsuit? I’ve been unemployed for over two years, and recently got a great full-time job in a wonderful Broadband company. My truck is the main source of transportation for me. Without it, it’s a HUGE problem. Two days ago I took my truck in for a tune-up. They checked it and told me that the spark plugs needed to be changed on my 2005 Ford F150. I received a call from the shop and was told that the last spark plug broke, part of it fell into the cylinder and they needed a special tool to take it out but I would have to pay for the tool. Today, I took a mechanic friend with me to look at my truck’s engine. The mechanic put a scope in and showed us the problem. It showed the broken piece and many small pieces in the cylinder. I was never warned about this potential problem, and never ever knew that this could happen. I’m not moving the truck, I don’t feel responsible for the damage because I didn’t cause that damage, and Ford’s manufacturer has a 100,000 mile warranty on the spark plug. My truck has about 86,000 miles. Shame on Ford Motor! They’re not in it for us. They’re in it for their profit! Shame, shame, shame on Ford Motor. Shame on their manufacturer for engineering defective parts and shame on Ford Motor for not recalling these vehicles. I refuse to pay for any damage that I did not cause. PLEASE…INCLUDE ME IN ON YOUR CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT! I’ll be calling the BBB, US Department of Transportation, National Consumers Affair, Office of the Attorney General, and Ford Motor! I will not pay for something I can’t use because Ford Motor’s manufacturer utilized defective spark plugs. How did I know that? We should turn the table around and instead of hearing them say, “Sorry….we have no control over that” we should rise against this horrible illegal act of selling vehicles with defective parts and tell them “Sorry…..but your corporation and dealership knowingly sold us a defective product…..we have no control over that”.
Was this case ever settled? If not, is it too late to the class action suit? I was just quoted $3500 to replace the spark plugs in my 2005 Expedition…. There is no way I can afford that right now, and so I continue driving it in town to take my kids to school. Like many of the other posts, my expedition is misfiring, and if I hit 2500 RPM or higher, the check engine light flashes for about a minute. There is no way I am leaving town in a car whose check engine light is flashing that long…especially if my kids are with me.
i have a 2006 mark lt and when it had around 48,000 miles one of the spark plugs broke and the dealer spent 3 days with the truck in order to fix it. now the truck has 70,000 miles and i was getting ready to change the spark plugs when i came across all this comment about the spark plugs breaking while trying to take them off. i call the consumer line for lincoln to see if they had a recall but they said they have never heard of this happening before and she direct me to a dealership close to my house to have them do it instead. i ask the shop how much would it be for the tune up and he said it started at $450 but more than likely would go up depending how many spark plugs would break. he said that it could be as many as all 8 or as few as 2??? FORD IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, YET THEY DECIDE TO DO NOTHING TO FIX THEIR WRONG.
Bought my F-150 8/2011, took truck to mechanic to check it out, I was also told that the sparks plugs have the same problems that everyone on this site is talking about. He told me that it will cost lots of money to remove them and they break. And if they break I have to take it to a Ford dealer and it will cost thousand. What a joke that they are profiting of us. I hope more people join the Class Action Lawsuit.
I am the owner of a 2005 Ford Expedition which started “jerking” upon exceleration, so I took it to my mechanic – which I have known for 13 years – and when he took a look at the sparkplugs, he found that one had broken off prior to his even trying to change any of the others. I too would love to get in on a lawsuit for the cost of repairs to my vehicle, which thus far have exceeded $430, just for the one. Wonder if any of the others are going to break when they are changed.
We own a 2006 f150 had coil pack changed, fuel modular. Took to 3 garage a ford dealer told would be $1,350 to $2,000 for repairs then received a call that cams and cat where bad and the bill is $5,000 would like to know more about class action law suit….
Just received the call from our mechanic… $718.18 to replace the spark plugs. He reported that seven broke and five were extremely difficult to remove; however, given all we’ve read, we feel VERY fortunate the bill isn’t more! I have been holding my breath for two days, praying we wouldn’t end up having to buy a new engine, or pay more than we’ll pay today.
Shame on Ford for not issuing a recall for this spark plug issue, AND for the problematic cam phaser in these trucks.
Our cam phaser began ticking last month and cost $990 to replace. Fortunately, the repair was covered under a powertrain warranty the dealer provided when we bought it, (which ran out 400 miles later!)
Our 2004 Ford F-150 was purchased on May 7th (2012) with 64,000 miles on it. We’ve driven it less than 5,000 miles and have had to replace the cam phaser, all spark plugs (as a preventative measure after learning about the defective, 2-piece design during research for the cam phaser issue.) And, the AC compressor went out on it too!
Tomorrow I will pay Ford $291 to do a transmission service and then I’ll walk into their sales office to plunk down $3,000 to buy Ford’s best extended warranty because my husband and I now have ZERO faith in this truck!
Janet Cooper-Bridge
http://www.thearmymom.com