Ford has been sued by three aggrieved Mustang Mach-E owners alleging the American automaker knew about a problem with the electric vehicle (EV) before selling it.
The problem at the center of the lawsuit is how the EV can lose all motive power while being driven. According to the lawsuit, the Mustang Mach-E is plagued by “a uniformly designed defective high voltage battery main contactor that could overheat, thereby immobilizing the vehicle or making it lose power during operation. The contactors on these vehicles are prone to fail during ordinary and foreseeable driving situations.”
The trio, including Benjamin Kegele, Thomas Dorobiala, and Spenser Henry, claim Ford has yet to provide a solution to the power problem. They own the 2021 and 2022 models of the electric car.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in the Eastern District of California. The plaintiffs claim Ford should have made the defect known before people buy or lease the car. Ford had allegedly deceived its customers because the Mach-E didn’t work as advertised.
The plaintiffs want the court to make Ford explain how an over-the-air update could fix a hardware problem. They are also seeking other Mach-E owners to join the case and demand compensation of US$5 million outside of fees and interest.
Meanwhile, Ford has said it is not aware of any injuries related to the power loss issue of the Mach-E. But its spokesperson, Said Deep, told Free Press, “The software update is meant to protect the contactors. If any customers experience this issue, the hardware replacement is covered under warranty.”
The Detroit-based car company has not asked owners to stop driving.
The Mach-E was derived from the popular Mustang ICE and was released to generally positive reviews. However, lawsuits are not the only problem Ford faces with the Mach-E, as the CFO revealed the company is no longer making a profit on the car due to inflation. Ford has also issued a recall for the EV based on the problem it is being sued for.
