Ford's F150 Ecoboost Engine Under Federal Investigation

The pride and joy of Ford Motor Company-- the F150 pickup with Ecoboost engine-- is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA").  According to the complaints filed by consumers with NHTSA, and the various lawsuits filed against Ford Motor Company, the trucks stumble and stall on hard acceleration.

According to NHTSA, the investigation involves about 400,000 2011-2013 Ford F150 trucks with Ecoboost engines.  The 3.5 liter Ecoboost V-6 engine is in about 40% of Ford F150 trucks.  The Engine uses a combination of turbocharging and direct injection to boost power from a relatively small engine.

The NHTSA defect investigation was preceded by 2 separate technical service bulletins issued by Ford Motor Company itself.  In Ford Technical Service Bulletin ASI-32166, Ford advises that some 2011-2013 Ford F150 trucks with the 3.2 liter Ecoboost engine will exhibit a flashing malfunction indicator light and intermittent stumble or misfire during hard acceleration under extreme humid or damp conditions.  Similarly, according to Ford Technical Service Bulletin 13-1-10, some 2012-2013 Ford F150 trucks with the 3.2 liter Ecoboost engine will buck and jerk after startup with a cold engine and Ford instructs its dealers that the Powertrain Control Modules for these vehicles should be reprogrammed to a higher calibration.

 

To read more about the defect investigation, the consumer complaints submitted to NHTSA, and Ford's technical service bulletins on the vehicle, click here.

Do you own a 2011-2013 Ford F150 with a 3.2 liter Ecoboost engine? Has the truck hesitated, stumbled, jerked, or stalled on hard acceleration? Has the vehicle been in the shop repeatedly for repairs but it is still not fixed?  If you have taken your truck back to the shop repeatedly but the dealer hasn't fixed your truck within 3 attempts, you may have a lemon.

Take the Ohio Lemon Law Test at www.OhioLemonLaw.com, or in Kentucky at www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com to see if you are entitled to get a new truck or your money back.  If so, call us on our Toll Free Hotline at 1-888-331-6471.  And, if you are thinking about getting a new 2013 Ford F150 with a 3.2 liter Ecoboost engine, then you may want to hold off until Ford figures out how to fix the current models under investigation.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 9 Years Running

Car Repair for the Female Consumer- Part 5: Continuing to Document the Unrepaired Defect

Step 5: Continuing to Document the Unrepaired Defect

If the defect is not fixed, call the dealer right back and make another appointment. In the meantime, continue to document the defect in your defect diary, and in photographs or videos.

You may also want to go online to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") website to search for any service bulletins, safety recalls, defect investigations, or consumer complaints that are similar to the defect or defects which you are experiencing.


A service bulletin is a manufacturer’s repair for a known defect in a vehicle line which is issued to the manufacturer’s authorized dealers. 

A safety recall is a notice issued to a consumer by a manufacturer for repair of a safety defect in a particular line of vehicles. Consumer complaints can be initiated by other consumers to NHTSA regarding a defect or problem that the consumer is having with their vehicle. 

A defect investigation is initiated by NHTSA when it receives repeated consumer complaints regarding the same defect or problem which is considered a safety risk.

Once you are on the NHTSA website, you can search by year, make, and model of vehicle, or make a consumer complaint.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 9 Years Running