Photo: Hagens Berman
When it comes down to the business of making cars, every automaker has to follow a number of arguably basic rules. For example, the manufacturer needs to ensure that every vehicle rolling off the assembly line is safe and free from defects.
Ford didn’t get the memo, apparently, which is why the Blue Oval is going to court. The problem, as it happens, comes in the form of defective lug nuts.
Multiple owners in Arizona, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, and California have signed on the class-action lawsuit filed by Hagens Berman in Michigan on behalf of affected customers. According to the document, the “caps swell and delaminate to the point where the lug nuts cannot be removed with the lug wrench provided by Ford.” This translates to a bit of a headache when someone gets a flat tire, plus additional servicing expenses.
“The defective nature of the Ford lug nuts is well known to Ford and its dealers,” argues the law firm, adding that “some dealers suggest that their customers buy non-Ford lug nuts because they know any replacement Ford lug nuts will similarly fail and become unusable.” It’s rather clear, then, that the Dearborn-based automaker has a catastrophic problem on its hands.
According to Automotive News, the defect leads the affected consumer to pay more than $30 per wheel just to get the tire off. Millions of vehicles are potentially affected, with Hagens Berman drawing attention to nameplates that include the F-150, F-350, Focus, Fusion, Flex, and the Escape crossover.
The problem isn’t the steel core of the lug nuts, but the decorative cap that’s made from chrome, aluminum, or stainless steel, depending on the model. Putting design ahead of safety isn’t a brilliant idea, especially if not even an air wrench can remove the lug nut.
Chrysler used a similar design in the not too far past, and it paid the price for it. Even though the faulty lug nuts come from a third-party company, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes Ford the supplier and warrantor.
Multiple owners in Arizona, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, and California have signed on the class-action lawsuit filed by Hagens Berman in Michigan on behalf of affected customers. According to the document, the “caps swell and delaminate to the point where the lug nuts cannot be removed with the lug wrench provided by Ford.” This translates to a bit of a headache when someone gets a flat tire, plus additional servicing expenses.
“The defective nature of the Ford lug nuts is well known to Ford and its dealers,” argues the law firm, adding that “some dealers suggest that their customers buy non-Ford lug nuts because they know any replacement Ford lug nuts will similarly fail and become unusable.” It’s rather clear, then, that the Dearborn-based automaker has a catastrophic problem on its hands.
According to Automotive News, the defect leads the affected consumer to pay more than $30 per wheel just to get the tire off. Millions of vehicles are potentially affected, with Hagens Berman drawing attention to nameplates that include the F-150, F-350, Focus, Fusion, Flex, and the Escape crossover.
The problem isn’t the steel core of the lug nuts, but the decorative cap that’s made from chrome, aluminum, or stainless steel, depending on the model. Putting design ahead of safety isn’t a brilliant idea, especially if not even an air wrench can remove the lug nut.
Chrysler used a similar design in the not too far past, and it paid the price for it. Even though the faulty lug nuts come from a third-party company, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes Ford the supplier and warrantor.
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