Ford defect class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Bradley Caricofe, Shawn Thibodeaux, Julie Thibodeaux, Kenneth Hunnel, and Leanne Hunnel filed a class action lawsuit against Ford Motor Company.
- Why: The group of vehicle owners claim Ford failed to disclose that the rear subframe assemblies on its model year 2020 and newer Ford Explorer 2.3L or 3.0L ST vehicles are defective.
- Where: The class action lawsuit is in California federal court.
- What are my options: CarShield provides vehicle protection plans for Kia and other vehicles.
Ford Motor Company fails to disclose that the rear subframe assemblies on its model year 2020 and newer Ford Explorer 2.3L or 3.0L ST vehicles are defective, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
A group of vehicle owners claim Ford used only one rear axle horizontal mounting bolt to attach the rear subframe assemblies, despite allegedly knowing since at least 2019 that the vehicles would require four bolt rear subframe assemblies.
Vehicle owners argue Ford “willfully substituted the unsafe rear subframe assembly” for the “safer-as-designed” four bolt assembly “due to supply chain issues beginning in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“Defendant’s failure to disclose the Rear Subframe Defect has caused Plaintiffs and putative class members to lose the use of their vehicles and/or incur costly repairs that have conferred an unjust substantial benefit upon Defendant,” the Ford class action states.
The group of vehicle owners want to represent a nationwide class and California, CLRA, Maryland, and Texas subclasses of all persons or individuals who purchased or leased a model year 2020 or newer Ford Explorer 2.3L or 3.0L ST vehicle.
Ford actively concealed alleged defect from consumers, says class action
Vehicle owners claim the alleged defect can cause the vehicles’ rear differential to suddenly drop, causing an “unexpected destruction of a broad array of suspension, driveshaft assembly, and exhaust system components,” and a “total loss of control” while driving.
Ford, meanwhile, is accused of actively working to conceal the alleged defect from consumers, something the vehicle owners argue it continues to do to this day.
“Defendant not only refused to disclose the alleged Rear Subframe Defect to consumers, they also actively concealed, and continue to conceal, their knowledge concerning the Rear Subframe Defect,” the Ford class action states.
The group of vehicle owners claim Ford is guilty of unjust enrichment, fraud by omission, and violating the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, among other things.
Plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with an award of compensatory, exemplary, and statutory damages for themselves and all class members.
Last month, Ford announced a recall for more than 175,000 of its five-door Ford Bronco SUVs over concerns their front seat belts fail to comply with federal safety standards.
Have you purchased or leased a model year 2020 or newer Ford Explorer 2.3L or 3.0L ST vehicle? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Laura E. Goolsby, Tarek H. Zohdy, and Cody R. Padgett of Capstone Law APC.
The Ford defect class action lawsuit is Caricofe, et al. v. Ford Motor Co., Case No. 3:23-cv-01012, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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28 thoughts onFord class action alleges some Explorers have rear subframe assembly defect
I have a 2020 xlt ford explorer and have had nothing but problems. The 4 wheel dive doesn’t work because if the front axle control box. This is not a recall but was told it is a memo. Vehicle was at the dealership for two days getting some program downloaded to fix the problem. Picked the car up got down the road all the lights came back on. Went back and even the dealership was frustrated because he said he sees this problem with a lot of the 2020 explorers. It is over 2000.00 for the part then to put it in. I can’t afford it right now. The holidays are here I lost my mother. I am just done with Ford after I pay this off will never buy ford again.