Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest Class Action Settlement News!
Ford Motor Company (NASDAQ: F) has been hit with a federal class action lawsuit that claims its 2005-2011 Ford Focus vehicles have a suspension defect that causes their tires to wear out unevenly and prematurely, leading the cars to drift dangerously on slick roads. The Ford Focus class action claims Ford knew about the suspension defect as early as 2005, but refuses to honor the vehicles’ warranties.
Ford Focus Suspension Defect Class Action Lawsuit
By Sarah Pierce
Ford Motor Company (NASDAQ: F) has been hit with a federal class action lawsuit that claims its 2005-2011 Ford Focus vehicles have a suspension defect that causes their tires to wear out unevenly and prematurely, leading the cars to drift dangerously on slick roads. The Ford Focus class action claims Ford knew about the suspension defect as early as 2005, but refuses to honor the vehicles’ warranties.According to the Ford Focus class action lawsuit, Ford Focus cars from the 2005-2011 model years contain one or more design and/or manufacturing defects that affect the vehicle’s alignment and causes “catastrophic tire failure.”
The Ford Focus suspension defect not only creates an “extremely rough ride” and “exceptionally loud noise” while driving, but also presents a safety hazard and “unreasonably dangerous” driving conditions because it causes drivers to lose control on wet or snow-covered roads, the class action lawsuit states.
Ford is accused of knowing about the Ford Focus suspension defect since at least 2005, but of continually failing to repair and/or replace the defective components or the damaged tires under warranty, despite the fact that the defect manifests itself during the warranty period.
The Ford Focus suspension defect class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of anyone who purchased or leased a 2005 through 2011 Ford Focus in California and who currently resides in the United States. It is seeking damages and disgorgment of profits for Class Members, in addition to a court order requiring Ford to repair the defective suspensions in the Ford Focus vehicles.
A copy of the Ford Focus Suspension Defect Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.
The case is Margie Daniel, et al. v. Ford Motor Company, Case No. 11-cv-02890, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento Division.
UPDATE 2: On Sept. 23, 2016, a California federal judge certified a proposed Class of Ford Focus owners whose vehicles allegedly suffered from a rear suspension defect that caused tires to wear down prematurely.
Updated June 29th, 2013
All class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Lawsuit News section of Top Class Actions
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
©2008 – 2010 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners.
32 thoughts onFord Focus Suspension Defect Class Action Lawsuit
UPDATE 2: On Sept. 23, 2016, a California federal judge certified a proposed Class of Ford Focus owners whose vehicles allegedly suffered from a rear suspension defect that caused tires to wear down prematurely.
is there anything us canadians can do and is there actually anything happening from ford or are they ignoring the fact that they have a problem
We have a 2010 and have put five sets of tires on it! How can they have denied this as an issue???
I have a 2004 Focus Wagon ZTW with 154k miles on it. I am about to buy my 4th set of tires. While my tires did last longer than 05-11 models (or maybe I should say I put up with the noise longer, or just cheaper) the symptoms are the same, especially the fishtailing in the snow and noise. Apparently Ford did not improve the issue but it got progressively worse. I have heard from my local tire shop things like “oh those cheaper cars are just hard on tires”. Dealer has stated “must be something wrong in the suspension” even though any suspension item that has gone bad was replaced.
I have a 2009 ford focus se, how can I get in on this class action lawsuits ?my car has the same problems
MY WIFE GOT A USED 2009 FOCUS SL WITH 62000 MILES WITH NEW TIRES
I USED TO BE A PRO DRIVER THIS FOCUS IS THE WORST HANDLING VEHICLE
I EVER DROVE. HAD IT ALIGNED. NOT BETTER
2008 Focus SE, just under 78k, I have put 3 sets of 70k mile tires, and now yesterday the steering locked up and caused the car to wreck, now it is totaled. Can someone with any legal experience please let myself(and all of us3ve any legal ground to stand om.
Thank you
could anyone tell me the names of the parts I need to replace and how difficult they are to install?
i totally agree we have literally spent thousands on our 2008 focus its time ford fesses up and returns all our money its been a unsafe car from day one i myself raced dirt cars before and asphalt these cars are on the edge of being death traps FORD GET WITH THE PROGRAM if there is a cadian lawsuit out there sign me up ********
I share the pain. May this be of help. After many go rounds with the local Ford dealer concerning rear suspension problems consisting of tire wear and weird handling on wintry slippery roads. Summer conditions of dry and wet roads are fine. I took it to my trusted alignment guru. The aftermarket part and even the Ford fix-it parts for adjusting the rear camber would not give them the adjustment needed to get the rear wheels in line. So…they machined the drilled holes oval, got it to where they needed it and locked it down. One year and tire wear is finally normal. I am still dealing with the winter handling issues. New snows help but only for one winter. Downright scary with a car that wants to search/sway back and forth on icy roads. One consolation, I can tell when I am driving on black ice. I am planning on giving it back to my alignment guru and informing him of my latest discovery that one season snows don’t cut it. The alignment was checked in the late November and it’s spot on from where they set it earlier in the year. I refuse to buy new snow tires every year and in doing so it only masks the real problem. So far in my search I have not found any concrete fix for the handling problem, if I do I will post it here. I smell a Ford rat.
I have had a Focus station wagon for about 6 years now. It consistently ruined tires on the rear in less than 20,000 miles. Long before they were ruined, usually in less than 5000 miles, the rear tires would already be damaged and the road noise would be huge. Repeated alignments were no help. The Ford dealership was less help. Mitchlin tires made the most difference and lasted the longest.
Finally last year I looked up info on the internet and took what I found to my local mechanic. He has a really good man there who knows his stuff. He found aftermarket parts that allowed him to set the rear suspension correctly. The tires are now wearing normally. No more excessive road noise. You can actually hear the radio without turning up high. However… this did not come cheap. $700 in parts and labor. But I will save that much in tires over time and the car is much safer to drive.
By the way, my old Ford Escort station wagon was twice the car the Focus is. It didn’t have all the interior bells and whistles, (which I do like), but the Escort had a larger and more usable cargo area, better gas mileage with similar power, and the handling was much better with less sway, better directional stability, etc.
Bruce, what were the repairs done to the rear suspension of your focus wagon?
Bruce: can you tell us what the aftermarket parts are that allowed the mechanic to set the rear suspension correctly?