Well, this is embarrassing… .
Disgruntled Shelby GT350 Mustang owners are suing Ford Motor Co. in federal court for about $228 million, claiming the automaker sold them 2016 model-year performance cars that overheat and lose power on the track.
The suit contends the affected Shelby Mustangs have faulty transmissions and rear differentials that can overheat in as little as 15 minutes. The suit claims that Ford fixed the problem in 2017 vehicles, but told owners to make the fixes on the 2016 cars themselves, which they claim is a breach of the car’s warranty.
The 71-page lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Miami. Hagens Berman, a law firm famous for filing class-action lawsuits against big companies, is handling the case.
“When Ford marketed and sold these Shelby GT350 Mustangs, it knew exactly how to appeal to track-enthusiasts: it marketed enhanced performance in a limited-edition iconic vehicle that has been associated with racing for generations,” Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman, said in a statement. “We believe that Ford induced purchasers with its ‘track-ready’ marketing, when in fact it knew that this defect would ultimately bar these Mustangs from ever being the hotrod consumers paid for.”
The lawsuit so far has four named plaintiffs, and estimates about 4,000 owners are affected. It says the cars are worth about $57,000 each, so damages could reach $228 million.
Ford said early Thursday that it had not yet been served.
“Ford is committed to providing our customers with top-quality vehicles,” A Ford spokesman said in a statement. “However, we do not comment on pending litigation.”
The Shelby GT350 Mustang went on sale near the end of 2015 and features Ford’s most powerful naturally aspirated engine ever made. The 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V-8 gets 526 hp, and is Ford’s highest-revving eight-cylinder, topping out at 8,250 rpm
Seems to me that if this is a breach of warranty (of which Ford is famous for) then they should be brought to court to account for …
It’s been very clear for quite some time, that Ford has had issues with fixing stuff that is clearly a warranty issue – case in point is the Focus auto transmission case that they denied for many years … it took another class action suit for them to admit that the tranny was indeed an issue …
Sounds like a lot of crying from a spoiled sector of the public, and they found a willing attorney to further the cause of their tantrum. This is what a low I.Q. and a lack of skill and coordination gets you.
I could get more performance and satisfaction out of a 40 year old Cessna, as well as better view.
If I were the judge and this case reached my court, my first question to plaintiffs would be: If you were obsessed with a track-ready car, why did you opt for the “tech package” with the 7-speaker sound system? Speakers have magnets, which are heavy, and weight is the enemy of race track speed?
Hi AC,
Back in the day, it was understood that cars used for racing were not gonna be covered by warranty. What’s wrong with people today? These are street performance cars. Use them as track day cars and things will (eventually) break.
The owners that are whining and suing are those who did not purchase the track pack. That is their cars did not have the transmission and differential coolers.
Ford offered these dealer reward cars in two forms, tech and track. Tech got road car niceties without things not normally found in road cars like differential coolers. Meanwhile track cars got track required equipment without the road car niceties.
The “fix” for 2017 is that ford now allows people to pick from both packages instead one or the other.
There’s apparently nothing wrong with the cars. If someone wants to sell their ‘tech package’ 2016 GT350 to me and very deep discount because they are unhappy with the lack of gear oil coolers I’ll consider taking it off their hands.
$57,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RIGHTTTT??!!!!!
Even if you could afford to blow that kind of money on a depreciating toy, why would you?! (And a toy that doesn’t even work good, no less!)
You’ll be lucky to get one at MSRP. These are dealer reward cars and are thus extra-profit enhanced by dealers. Prices upwards of $70K are realistic street asking prices.