Ford transmission mass action lawsuit overview:
- Who: More than 100 plaintiffs have joined a Ford mass action lawsuit.
- Why: The lawsuit alleges the automaker knowingly sold certain Ford Fusion and Ford Escape vehicles with a transmission defect that can cause premature wear of the internal components and potentially lead to catastrophic failures.
- Where: The Ford lawsuit was filed in Michigan federal court.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story mistakenly referred to the lawsuit as a class action. It is a mass action.
Ford Motor Co. knowingly sold Ford Fusions and Ford Escapes with defective transmissions, according to claims made in a 533-page Ford mass action lawsuit filed March 20 in Michigan federal court.
The Ford transmission defect allegedly affects model year 2010-2020 Ford Fusion and 2009-2021 Ford Escape vehicles.
“Ford repeatedly lied to consumers as to the reasons for the problems consumers experienced,” says the lawsuit, which has already been joined by more than 100 plaintiffs. “As a result, consumers were and are stuck in unsafe Fusion and Escape autos that have costly repairs and minimum resale value” allegedly due to the Ford transmissions defect.
The automaker allegedly knew the Ford transmissions in its Fusions and Escapes had a defective condition that could manifest in violent jerking, delayed acceleration, difficulty stopping, hard decelerations, premature wear of the internal components and potential catastrophic failures.
Ford transmission defect due to ‘fundamental design failure,’ plaintiffs claim
The Ford transmission defect is the result of a “fundamental design failure” in the interconnected array of software and hardware systems that allow the transmission to operate, the Ford lawsuit alleges.
Had the plaintiffs known about the Ford transmission defect and the potential for premature failure, they would not have purchased or leased the affected vehicles, according to the mass action lawsuit.
As a result of the undisclosed Ford transmission defect, the plaintiffs claim they experienced financial losses, including but not limited to out-of-pocket costs related to repairs, costs of obtaining alternative transportation and decreased value of their vehicles.
The plaintiffs also claim they suffered harm because their vehicles’ transmissions and related components “are substantially certain to fail before their expected useful life has run,” the Ford lawsuit alleges.
Ford recently reached a $365 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations it put a sham row of back seats in cargo vans to avoid a 25% duty rate.
Did you purchase or lease one of the allegedly defective Ford Fusions or Ford Escapes? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
Jones is represented by Kenneth A. Stern of Stern Law PLLC, Amy L. Wells of Wells Law Office Inc., Amy L. Marino of Marino Law PLLC and William C. Ourand Jr. of Newsome Melton PA.
The Ford transmissions lawsuit is Gerkarrah Jones v. Ford Motor Co., Case No. 2:24-cv-10721-MAG-CI, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division.
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1,692 thoughts onLawsuit alleges Ford Fusions, Escapes have defective transmissions
Yes i purchased a 2021 Ford Escape SEL AWD about a year and some change ago and the transmission just went out. No warning or anything. Now $7800 later for a rebuilt one, the new one was $12,000. They sold me this car knowing the transmission in these cars are trash but Ford knows it too. they are liable for this as well. The car is just 5 years old. There is no way that it should have went out already. Its been a grueling process trying to pay this type of money for a trash transmission. I need help on how I can join this mass action law suit against Ford for this mess.
In June 2024 I purchased or I should say at least a 2019 Ford escape and from day one it had transmission issues and I had advised the dealer of that who advised me that it was just some type of converter or some type of issue and that they would fix it and then eight months later down the road then the transmission started going out on the vehicle and the dealer knew when they sold me the vehicle that it was actually that those cars were known for having transmission issues and they knew they sold me a limit, but kept proceeding to state that it was other things until the truth came to light which there was a bad transmission from the beginning, those CV transmissions aren’t any good and I kept having signs of that it was the transmission, but they kept saying otherwise
I have a 2018 Ford Escape which I have followed all of the maintenance service on since day one. The vehicle was purchase at Annapolis Ford in Maryland and we moved to South Carolina in August 2029. All of my maintenance service since we moved here has been done at Fairway Ford, Greenville, SC. Recently I had an 85,000 maintenance service which included a transmission flush and fluid change. The vehicle was towed back there 1 1/2 month later with a transmission issue. The vehicle had no issues upon getting the maintenance service. I was told that I needed a rebuilt transmission at the cost of $6800 and that they might be able to get me a $2000 discount from the Transmission Fluid Dealer. My car sat in their lot for a week and one half with no answer on the discount. I had the vehicle towed to AAMCO, Greenville, SC. They informed me that the diagnosis indicated a transmission replacement because the fluid was dark with metal fragments. The fluid should not have been dark if it had been flushed and changed at Fairway Ford. I also called the Ford Headquarters and was told that my Vin number was not on the recall list. I believe something shady is going on here.
been having problems with my 2018 escape