Ford EcoBoost Engine Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Automaker Knew About Defect With Critical Component For Years

Ford vehicles were sold with EcoBoost motors that the company knew would likely fail shortly outside the 60,000 mile factory warranty period, according to the complaint.

Ford Motor Company faces a class action lawsuit over its EcoBoost engines, alleging that the auto manufacturer continued selling vehicles that contained defective belts that it knew were likely to break shortly after the vehicles reached their 60,000 mile warranty period, causing the engines to seize and stop.

The Ford 1.0L EcoBoost engine was marketed as an award-winning, “turbo-charged wonder,” and was included in the 2018 to 2021 Ford EcoSport, 2016 to 2018 Ford Focus and 2016 to 2017 Ford Fiesta vehicles, all of which had suggested retail prices ranging from $16,000 to $20,000.

However, the manufacturer has received a number of warranty claims in recent years, indicating that oil does not circulate properly through the engine, leaving rubber belts sitting in fluid until they snap and cause the engine to instantly stop working, sometimes while the vehicles are travelling at highway speeds.

According to allegations raised in a Ford EcoBoost engine class action lawsuit currently being pursued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, the defect often occurs just outside of the vehicle’s 60,000 mile powertrain warranty, meaning that owners are left with no means of compensation for cars with engines that no longer work, causing severe financial hardship.

Marlon Boltin and more than a dozen other Ford owners filed an amended complaint (PDF) in the case on August 23, indicating that Ford should be required to buy back the defective vehicles. The lawsuit not only seeks damages for the named plaintiffs, but also seeks class action status to pursue on behalf of other owners of vehicles with the defective 1.0L EcoBoost engines.

According to the complaint, the faulty belts are a result of Ford not manufacturing them with robust enough materials, leaving the engine’s belts more prone to easily breaking than other engine belts.

Bolton purchased a new Ford EcoSport equipped with a 1.0L EcoBoost engine in 2018. When the engine reached 64,000 miles four years later, the oil pressure light came on while Bolton was driving it. Within ten minutes, the vehicle went into “limp mode,” which is a safety feature that automatically reduces the vehicle’s speed.

Pulling over to the side of the road to avoid an accident, Bolton quickly discovered that the car’s engine had seized up and was no longer able to be started. He wound up paying $2,387 for a new engine. However, that new engine was also a 1.0L EcoBoost engine, which made Bolton apprehensive, given the danger he had already faced while driving one of those defective engines.

“(T)he engines equipped in the Class Vehicles are, as described by one Ford Dealership employee, ‘time bombs’ due to a defect that prevents oil from circulating properly that destroys the engine, leaving consumers with a repair bill that frequently exceeds the value of the vehicle,” Bolton said in the complaint.

Ford Knew About EcoBoost Engine Problems Since 2016

The lawsuit alleges that Ford has known about this issue with its 1.0L EcoBoost engine since at least 2016, but continued selling cars equipped with it.

In a sample recall letter, Ford says that drivers do not need to stop driving any of the affected vehicles, including:

• 2018 to 2021 Ford EcoSport
• 2016 to 2018 Ford Focus
• 2016 to 2017 Ford Fiesta

The company will replace defective or broken parts free of charge. However, replacement parts will not be available until early 2025, leaving drivers with potentially costly bills and sometimes no vehicle to drive until that time.

According to the complaint, company internal communications detail that Ford has known that the 1.0L EcoBoost engine is prone to seizing up since at least 2016, when customers first started complaining about it.

The original class action complaint in this case was filed on June 9, 2023, following a December 2022 recall issued by the company on 2016 to 2018 Ford Focus and Ford EcoSport models.

Ford filed a motion to dismiss the case on grounds that none of those who filed the complaint took advantage of the company’s recall policies, that they were filing the complaint on behalf of affected cars that none of them had bought, and that there is no actual defect to the engine.

The company’s motion to dismiss was partially granted by the presiding judge, U.S. District Judge Gregory B. Williams, on July 8, 2024.

In Judge Williams’ opinion (PDF) on the partial dismissal, he granted Bolton and the other plaintiffs an opportunity to file an amended complaint, particularly addressing his express warranty claims and equitable relief. Bolton responded with the amended complaint on August 23, 2024.