Hybrids New Lawsuit . Recall still not fixed

[DryHeat]

That article mentions reducing underhood Temps by increasing airflow, was that mentioned in the recall? Seems like they are indicating oil is boiling out from hi temps in the engine bay.

I don't think they are talking about high temps causing oil to boil out into the engine bay.

I think they want to reduce under-hood temps so that -- if there is a spill from any cause -- it is less likely to catch fire.

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[TheGriffin1313]

wasn't the minority report based on the same concept? In lue of you spilling combustible fluids.
we are going to modify you so in the event you do go postal the damage will be limited to just you. I believe Ford overreacted on the side of safety side and now there is a lot of finger pointing going on and the smart lawyers have grabbed a hold of this unfortunate opportunity. I personally will be delaying this recall fix as long as possible. No holes and or removal of baffles I have payed for for me.



"The lawsuit – filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan by Hagens Berman – alleges that Ford’s fix for this particular issue does not address the root cause of the problem, and can even represent an environmental hazard as it allows fluids to leak out of the vehicle, potentially setting up owners for injury and property damage.

“Ford’s fix is essentially rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Steve Berman, Hagens Berman co-founder and managing partner. “While drivers, their families and others on the road attend to the real crisis of a potential vehicle fire due to this manufacturing defect, Ford’s solution does nothing to address the issue at hand and will mean an unknowable amount of engine fluids will be spilled onto roads, leaching into groundwater and soil.”

 

[Lone Star Proud]

"Ford’s solution does nothing to address the issue at hand and will mean an unknowable amount of engine fluids will be spilled onto roads, leaching into groundwater and soil.”


They make it sound like the Exxon Valdez will be sailing down the road spewing oil all over the place

 

[Darnon]

The argument sounds like what some of the more hysterical folks here were positing. That Ford is aware of some undisclosed systemic engine fault that they're hiding/refusing to address and the existing recall is merely a band-aid. Maybe they just found some lawyer willing to try their conspiracy on for a hail mary (and collect the lion's share of any settlement, of course).

 

[Aherpa]

Has an owner inspected the shield for evidence of leaks (before or after) the warranty mods were made? Seems like a lot of lawyer huffing and puffing if the shield is dry. . . .

 

[Fluegelmeister]

I just want to add as a volly firefighter when you add more air to the leaking oil/fuel the fire would become hotter. I've put out car fires and I would argue all cars have this risk.

 

[Deleted member 14823]

Maybe they just found some lawyer willing to try their conspiracy on for a hail mary (and collect the lion's share of any settlement, of course).

They are represented by the law offices of Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe.

 

[Scupking]

I'm much more concerned about the bad 12v harness issue over this....

 

[bombast]

I just want to add as a volly firefighter when you add more air to the leaking oil/fuel the fire would become hotter. I've put out car fires and I would argue all cars have this risk.

The issue was, if I understand it, that lack of air flow made it more likely fumes would persist in the engine bay, where they could combust. Letting air through is an attempt to vent said fumes so a fire won't start in the first place.

Once a fire starts, I don't think a couple drill holes are going to make much of a difference.

 

[WasChops]

https://fordauthority.com/2022/08/m...ing-to-new-lawsuit/?mibextid=tv9c0b&fs=e&s=cl

Reminds me of a song... B I N G O - but at Ford it is P I N T O... and that history alone testifies to Ford's response to issues well documented and not well managed!

 

[Jmav2152]

OK didn't realize that airflow was the defect. Seems odd to need airflow in the engine bay for a water cooled engine to cool properly.

Well the water is cooled by airflow, then that cooled water cools the oil and cylinders.

 

[jsus]

The issue was, if I understand it, that lack of air flow made it more likely fumes would persist in the engine bay, where they could combust. Letting air through is an attempt to vent said fumes so a fire won't start in the first place.

Once a fire starts, I don't think a couple drill holes are going to make much of a difference.

Exactly.

In order to start a fire, 3 things are required. Air (oxygen), a fuel source (e.g. gasoline, oil), and an ignition source (spark, contact with a hot surface, etc.). The air-fuel mixture has to be In the right range or there won't be a fire. The recall that these ill-advised attorneys are complaining about serves to increase the air %, decreasing the fuel concentration to prevent ignition.

It's not an admission of a known mechanical defect that could cause a fire. Presumably, instead, it was discovered when investigating the defective crankshaft-related fires.

The engineers were thinking about how they could reduce the risk of fire, whether from that limited defect or anything else that could happen. Engine fires are incredibly rare, and what's more, Ford appears to have been erring on the side of caution with this recall, not covering something up.

So unless they manage to drag something out of Ford via discovery, they have no case and are attacking Fordf for erring on the side of caution.

But you'll still get many on here and elsewhere who hear about big, bad, evil Ford being hit with a lawsuit and assume it has merit. Sigh.

 

[Jonny44]

From what I've read, all the fires seem to be Escape hybrids and no cause for the fires could be found because they were burned beyond recognition. The majority of them gave a coolant overheat warning before they burned up.

 

[Hoagus]

The article's fixation on oil escaping onto the ground is weird. Only a faulty engine will leak oil--and the aerodynamic shield isn't there to catch it. It's not like the shield has a reservoir or absorbent pads, which is what would be required to catch and retain oil. I have assumed that adding holes will simply let oil escape from a catastrophic failure from a crankshaft fracture a little more quickly, thereby reducing the likelihood of a massive fire.

If we assume that Ford is removing shutters and drilling holes to reduce the possible effects of sudden oil leak leading to a fire, then I would like them to address the cause of the catastrophic failure--not just rip out shutters and drill holes to mitigate the consequences. After all, the shutters serve a purpose, so I'd prefer to leave them in place.

But the article's terrible writing doesn't shed light on what's going on...

I agree with you and can only add that I thought the recall was just to mitigate lawsuits like the one filed.

If successful, the lawyers get millions, and we aggrieved owners get… a FITS kit and 200 Ford Bonus Points. I’d prefer to skip the whole thing, including the recall “fixes.”

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