— A Ford Canada EcoBoost engine class action lawsuit alleges several models are at risk of engine fires due to coolant leaks.
The lawsuit alleges beginning with 2013 model year vehicles sold in 2012, the EcoBoost engines leaked coolant that seeped into the engine cylinders in these vehicles.
- 2013-2019 Ford Escape
- 2013-2019 Ford Fusion
- 2014-2015 Ford Fiesta ST
- 2013-2015 Ford Transit Connect
- 2015-2018 Ford Edge
- 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC
- 2016-2019 Lincoln MKZ
Those Ford vehicles are equipped with 1.5L, 1.6L and 2.0L EcoBoost engines that can cause vehicles to misfire, stall and even catch fire.
The Ford Canada class action was filed by five plaintiffs, and the lawsuit alleges three of those plaintiffs owned vehicles that caught fire. And the other two plaintiffs had to have the EcoBoost engines replaced.
The plaintiffs contend the vehicles are too dangerous to drive, something Ford has allegedly known since before the vehicles were first sold.
The Ford Canada EcoBoost lawsuit alleges at least three recalls were issued by Transport Canada between September 2012 and November 2013 for Ford vehicles equipped with EcoBoost engines.
The lawsuit says the recalls related to EcoBoost engine coolant leaks, overheating engines and engine fires. At that time Ford was aware of at least nine EcoBoost engine fires.
"In March 2017, Ford acknowledged that it had received at least 29 reports of vehicle fires in Canada and the United States caused by the Defect. By this time, the problem with the coolant leakage had gotten so bad that Ford had no choice but to initiate a recall (the 2017 Recall). In undertaking the 2017 Recall, Ford admitted that it was doing so because the Defect could lead to engine fires." — Ford Canada EcoBoost engine lawsuit
But the recalls were allegedly not adequate because the recalled Ford vehicles were equipped with 1.6L EcoBoost engines, not vehicles that had the 1.5L or 2.0L EcoBoost engines.
One of the plaintiff's says her Ford Escape was not recalled and later the engine caught fire.
But maybe the most damning argument according to the plaintiffs is how a 2017 recall didn't fix the EcoBoost engine coolant leaks. The lawsuit alleges the vehicles received coolant level sensors, but all that does is alert drivers when the coolant is too low.
The Ford Canada EcoBoost engine class action lawsuit was filed in the Ontario Court of Justice: Barron, et al., v. Ford Motor Company Canada, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by KND Complex Litigation.
