— A Ford Edge lawsuit alleges the EcoBoost engine flexplates are defective and cause the 2015-2018 SUVs to stall.
Ford Edge owners allegedly complain about rattling noises coming from the 2-liter EcoBoost engines before the engines stall.
The Ford Edge class action lawsuit alleges the engine flexplate stores energy from the engine until it is needed to propel the vehicle.
But the lawsuit alleges the area between the circular bolt patterns for the crankshaft and torque converter cracks and shatters.
The 2015-2018 Ford Edge lawsuit alleges the flexplate separates around the bolts which leaves one portion of the ring gear attached to the crankshaft and the outer portion attached to the torque converter.
Replacing the EcoBoost engine flexplates allegedly is useless because the replacement flexplates crack and shatter just like the original flexplates, causing rattling noise and stalled engines again.
Ford Edge Lawsuit Dismissed
The Ford Edge lawsuit was filed by three plaintiffs. Florida plaintiffs James and Christie Ranum purchased a certified, pre-owned 2015 Ford Edge Titanium in January 2017, and North Carolina plaintiff Christopher Straub leased a new 2015 Ford Edge.
Ford argues plaintiff Straub's claims should go to arbitration because he signed the lease which contains a “conspicuous arbitration provision,” and he “also signed a confirmation that he read the arbitration provision and agreed to arbitrate claims in accordance with it.”
Judge Sean F. Cox agreed with Ford and granted Ford's motion to compel arbitration.
This left the remaining claims asserted by plaintiffs James and Christie Ranum, beginning with implied and express warranty claims which the judge dismissed because the plaintiffs lacked privity (a relationship) with Ford.
The judge says the plaintiffs didn't respond to Ford's argument "other than to concede that they lack privity with Ford."
"As such, the Ranums have conceded (and also waived) their express warranty claims. The Court shall therefore dismiss the Ranums’ express warranty claims with prejudice, and also dismiss their derivative Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act claims as well, because they rise or fall with the state-law warranty claims." — Judge Sean F. Cox
Additionally, the judge dismissed the Ranums’ consumer protection act claims as untimely.
The Ford Edge lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: Straub, et al., v. Ford Motor Company.
The plaintiffs are represented by Barbat Mansour Suciu & Tomina PLLC, Greg Coleman Law PC, and Whitfield Bryson LLP.
