— If your Ford Mustang backup camera is not working, a Massachusetts class action lawsuit alleges it may be the wiring harnesses in the trunk lids.
The lawsuit alleges 2015-2017 Ford Mustangs have defective trunk lid wiring harnesses that cause numerous features to fail, including the backup cameras, trunk lights and trunk releases.
However, the class action lawsuit includes only Massachusetts entities and consumers.
Plaintiffs Merhle Davis and Thomas Yetter claim Ford Mustangs can even lose satellite radio reception because of the trunk lid wiring, and dealers allegedly tell owners repairs are expensive. And that's only if a dealer finds the problem in the first place.
"The repair procedure Ford communicated to its service technicians is dangerous, inadequate, and does not repair the original defective wiring harness." — Ford Mustang backup camera lawsuit
The plaintiffs also allege Ford knew before the cars were sold the backup cameras could stop working due to the trunk lid wiring harnesses.
Ford issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) in December 2018 informing dealer technicians about the wiring.
"Some 2015-2017 Mustang vehicles may experience an inoperative rear parking aid camera, luggage compartment lamp, luggage compartment lid release and/or poor satellite radio reception. This may be due to damage to the 14A005 harness in the area of the right side luggage compartment lid hinge. This concern may be accompanied by diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) B115E, C1001, and B1A89." — TSB 18-2362
However, the Mustang class action alleges the repairs aren't permanent and Ford should have recalled the cars to properly repair the wiring harnesses.
Ford Mustang Backup Camera Failures
According to the lawsuit, the trunk lid wiring harness is made of several separate wires for transmitting power and data to the backup camera, luggage compartment lamp, luggage compartment lid release, and satellite radio antenna which are all bundled together in a single wire loom.
But the plaintiffs claim the metal conductors inside these wires can break and cause short circuits which get worse over time.
And allegedly the TSB repair procedure doesn't work and isn't safe. Ford technicians are told to splice new wire into the harness to replace the broken wire, then create two new solder joints for each wire replaced.
The Ford Mustang class action lawsuit then alleges the "solder joints are inflexible and even more prone to fatigue and breakage than the original defective wiring."
According to the two Mustang plaintiffs, this means the backup cameras will eventually fail again because the wiring will fail.
The Mustang lawsuit alleges Ford doesn't know how to properly repair the defects to keep the backup cameras and other systems operational.
The Ford Mustang backup camera failure lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts: Davis, et al., v. Ford Motor Company.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Pastor Law Office LLP, Barnow and Associates, P.C., and Ahdoot & Wolfson, PC.
