Ford Class Action Says Defective Door Latch Leads to Costly Repairs

Ford Motor Company was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the door latch systems in certain Ford and Lincoln models are defective leading to door sensor failure and ultimately costly repairs.

Lead plaintiff Roger Kinnunen alleges in his class action lawsuit that the door latches in various Ford and Lincoln vehicles contain a material design and manufacturing defect.

This alleged defect begins with the contamination of electrical contacts on the door sensor, “inevitably” causes the door sensors in the affected vehicles to fail. Once the door sensors fail, the door latches and lock systems fail to function as intended, Kinnunen says.

Specifically, the class action claims the defective door latches cause the “Door Ajar” light to turn on and “[i]f the door sensor communicates that a passenger door is not adequately closed, then the vehicle’s interior dome light will continuously illuminate, the door chime will sound, [and] the alarm system will not function properly.”

“Additionally, the vehicle doors will not lock, while both parked and driven, and the child safety lock feature on the rear passenger doors will not function as intended,” the plaintiff says. “Furthermore, if this condition continues when the vehicle is turned off, it can completely drain the vehicle’s battery and leave the vehicle operator stranded.”

According to the class action complaint, the “Door Ajar” warning light in the plaintiff’s 2011 Ford Edge started turning on intermittently in 2012. Kinnunen says he had it repaired at the dealership, but it started turning on again in 2015 and again in 2016 after being repaired. The plaintiff alleges that for the 2016 repair, he had to pay $206.91 out of pocket.

The plaintiff further claims that Ford actively concealed the defect and that the defect causes affected vehicles to be worth less at resale. Additionally, Ford allegedly has failed to properly repair defective door latches and has refused to cover the costs of the repair, the plaintiff says.

“For customers with vehicles within the warranty periods at issue,” contends the plaintiff in the complaint. “Ford has done nothing more than to temporarily repair the Door Latch Defect, or replace it with other similarly defective and inherently failure-prone door latch assemblies.”

According to the class action lawsuit, “Ford has refused to take any action to correct the root cause of this concealed defect when it manifests in vehicles both in and outside the warranty period. Since the Door Latch Defect typically manifests within and shortly outside of the warranty period for the Class Vehicles – and given Defendant’s knowledge of this concealed, safety related design defect – Ford’s attempt to limit the applicable warranties with respect to the Door Latch Defect is unconscionable.”

Kinnunen points out that numerous complaints have reported the alleged defect to Ford, as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but Ford has failed to issue any sort of recall or offer a replacement.

The plaintiff seeks to represent a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased or leased one of the following vehicles: 2011-2014 Ford Edge, 2013 Ford Flex, 2013 Lincoln MKT, and 2011-2015 Lincoln MKX. Kinnunen also seeks to represent a Michigan subclass.

The plaintiff claims Ford violated Michigan consumer protection laws, breached express warranties, and committed fraud and violated its obligation for good faith and fair dealing. The plaintiff is seeking damages, including punitive damages, an order enjoining Ford, restitution and attorneys’ fees.

Kinnunen is represented by E. Powell Miller, Sharon S. Almonrode, and Dennis A. Lienhardt of The Miller Law Firm; Joseph G. Sauder, Matthew D. Schelkopf, Joseph B. Kenney, Richard D. McCune and David C. Wright of McCune Wright Arevalo LLP.

The Ford Defective Door Latch Class Action Lawsuit is Roger Kinnunen v. Ford Motor Company, Case No. 2:17-cv-11053-AC-EAS, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.