— A Ford E-Series class action lawsuit alleges the trucks will always have suspension problems unless Florida owners pay for and install aftermarket parts.
The Ford class action lawsuit includes:
"All persons who purchased or leased in the State of Florida a new completed vehicle utilizing a Ford E-Series Cutaway between 2018 and the date of class certification that required adjustment and/or modification to correct alignment within the first 12,000 miles after purchase."
According to the class action, Ford sells incomplete cutaway trucks they call the Ford E-Series Cutaway which are used for recreational vehicles, box trucks and ambulances.
Because of how the vehicles are used, the gross vehicle weight is a critical selling point and vital to the customers shopping for new vehicles of this kind.
The lawsuit says these are the advertised weights advertised by Ford.
- Ford E-350 Single-Rear-Wheel Cutaway, GVWR of 10,050 lbs
- Ford E-350 Dual-Rear-Wheel Cutaway, GVWR from 11,500 lbs to 12,500 lbs
- Ford E-450 Dual Rear-Wheel Cutaway, GVWR of 14,500 lbs
However, the class action lawsuit alleges the advertised gross vehicle weights are wrong because the vehicles have suspension systems that cannot be adjusted.
"Essentially, the vehicle cannot be aligned after it has been built out into its final use (e.g., recreational vehicle, box truck, ambulance, etc.) a step that is critical to the construction and safe use of the completed vehicle." — Ford E-Series lawsuit
The plaintiff claims when a Ford Cutaway has been built out, the vehicle will not track and steering is extremely difficult as the vehicle will pull to one side of the road due to its weight. This allegedly forces the driver on a highway to "constantly compensate for the vehicle’s inability to be driven straight."
In October 2020, Florida plaintiff Kenneth L. Boyle purchased a 2021 Ford E-450 Cutaway that was fitted as a recreational vehicle. He immediately noticed the vehicle pulled left when driving regardless of the vehicle’s load (loaded or unloaded).
A Ford dealer performed an alignment for $169 which allegedly should have been covered by the warranty but wasn't.
The plaintiff says the vehicle kept pulling to the left and another alignment was performed, this time for free. But the vehicle allegedly continued pulling to the left which disabled the cruise control and traction assist.
The plaintiff says he was forced to deal with aftermarket parts companies, RV sellers and Ford, and only after finally paying more than $850 for aftermarket parts did the pulling stop.
The Ford E-Series Cutaway lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: Kenneth L. Boyle v. Ford Motor Company.
The plaintiff is represented by The Miller Law Firm, P.C., Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, P.C., and Gustafson Gluek PLLC.
