Ford Class Action Says Truck Doors Fail to Latch in Cold Weather

UPDATE 4: October 2020, the Ford door latch class action settlement is now open. Click here to file a claim.

UPDATE 3: On March 5, 2020, Ford agreed to pay $5.3 million to settle customers’ claims that the door latches in F-150 trucks do not latch in frozen conditions. Now, the settlement awaits preliminary approval in New York federal court.

UPDATE 2: On Aug. 6, 2018, a judge denied a motion by Ford Motor Co. to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging certain Ford F-150 pickup trucks had door latches that failed to latch properly in freezing temperatures.

UPDATE: On May 8, 2017, the plaintiff in a class action lawsuit alleging the doors on Ford F-150 trucks fail to latch properly in freezing conditions urged a New York federal judge to drop Ford’s motion to dismiss the case.

A New York man says the doors on recent model years of Ford F-150 pickups fail to latch and lock in cold weather.

Plaintiff Brandon Kommer says defendant Ford Motor Company knew about a defect in the doors of late-model F-150 pickups that would prevent them from securely latching, yet failed to alert owners and lessees about that defect.

Kommer claims that Ford fails to deliver on the company’s promise of a truck that’s “Built Ford Tough.”

Throughout Ford’s advertisements of its F-150 pickup trucks, the company heavily emphasizes these vehicles’ toughness and durability, Kommer claims. He quotes marketing on websites and television that promise Ford F-150 trucks are “Battle-Tested” and provide “Rock-solid Durability.”

Kommer says he relied on representations like these when he decided to purchase a 2015 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew pickup truck.

But from the outset, he says, there were problems with the doors and locks on his new truck. These problems allegedly included “front, rear, driver and passenger side doors that would not latch close; electric locks that would not open; door handles not moving; locks not releasing; and having to use the door’s exterior electronic keypad to lock the doors.”

Other owners reported similar trouble in online forums. Kommer quotes several complaints from F-150 owners, reporting that their doors do not latch shut in sub-freezing weather. One reviewer said he had to warm the door’s latch with a hair dryer to get it to finally catch.

Ford is well aware of these problems, according to this class action lawsuit. Kommer cites two technical service bulletins from as early as April 2015 that describe the problems with these Ford defective doors.

According to the first bulletin, some 2015 F-150 SuperCab and SuperCrew Cab trucks built on or before March 25, 2015 were built with doors that may fail to latch during or after freezing temperatures.

Ford issued a second bulletin in November 2016, addressing the same defect but expanding coverage to include all F-150 vehicles from model years 2015 through 2017.

These two bulletins were supposedly addressed only to Ford dealers and service providers. Kommer says the company did nothing to disclose the Ford defective doors to affected owners.

Kommer is proposing a plaintiff Class that would include all persons who, within New York State and during the applicable statutory limitations period, purchased or leased a Ford F-150 truck from model years 2015 through 2017.

He seeks a court order that would bar Ford from making representations that would violate sections 349 and 350 of the New York General Business Law. He also seeks an award of damages, attorneys’ fees, court costs and interest, and any other relief the court sees fit to grant.

Kommer is represented by attorneys Jeffrey I. Carton, Robert J. Berg and Myles K. Bartley of Denlea & Carton LLP.

The Ford Defective Doors Class Action Lawsuit is Brandon Kommer v. Ford Motor Company, Case No. 7:17-cv-1724, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.