Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro filed a class-action lawsuit against Ford Motor Company on behalf of over two million persons and entities who purchased or leased Ford vehicles throughout the country. The covered vehicles include 2004 through 2009 model years for popular Ford vehicles such as the Ford F-150 truck, Ford Mustang, and Ford Explorer.
The complaint alleges that Ford vehicles in the Class have defective spark plugs that require extraordinary time, effort, and expense to remove due to asphalt-like deposits that build up over time. In fact, the spark plugs frequently break during attempts at removal and become stuck inside the cylinder head of the engine.
Despite Ford’s knowledge of these defects, it failed to inform consumers prior to purchase and it has failed to remedy the defect, the complaint alleges. As a result, class members have been required to spend hundreds, and in many instances, thousands of dollars more than reasonably could be anticipated to replace spark plugs – something that generally costs around $150, according to the lawsuit.
In addition, Ford expressly warranted and recommended that its spark plugs need not be replaced for 100,000 miles. But the longer the defective plugs remain in the vehicles, the more difficult, time consuming, and expensive it becomes to remove them.
Ford has refused to repair or replace these defects under its warranty, the complaint alleges. The multi-state class action claims that Ford has violated consumer protection and warranty laws.
