Ford Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Vehicles Equipped with 10R80 Transmissions

Owners report Ford vehicles equipped with the 10R80 10-speed transmission of delayed shifting, jerking and power loss, but say the manufacturer has done nothing to fix the problem.

Ford Motor Company faces a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of owners of certain Ford Expedition, Mustang, Ranger, F-150 and Lincoln Navigators vehicles, which are equipped with an 10R80 10-speed transmission, which may be prone to harsh and erratic gear shifts, as well as a sudden loss of power.

The complaint (PDF) was filed on July 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Joseph Vangel and Bryan Klontz, seeking class action status to pursue damages on behalf of all owners of Ford vehicles equipped with the 10R80 transmissions, which is allegedly defective.

Plaintiffs indicate that numerous vehicle owners have complained to Ford about problems with the transmission, including reports that vehicles lost power while accelerating as drivers tried to merge onto freeways or cross busy intersections. This was due to the transmission failing to shift up or down, plaintiffs claim.

In addition, the Ford class action lawsuit claims the problems may cause some drivers to experience whiplash and discomfort from the harsh way the vehicles shift, increase the risk of distractions while driving due to the system’s loud and unusual sounds, and generally make occupants not feel safe in the 10R80-equipped vehicles.

Ford Transmission Complaints Ignored

According to the lawsuit, Ford has known about problems with the transmissions, but refused to replace them. Instead, the lawsuit claims Ford told vehicle owners that the abrupt and harsh shifting they reported was “normal”.

“Defendant knew or should have known that the Vehicles contain one or more design and/or manufacturing defects, including but not limited to defects contained in the Vehicles’ 10R80, a 10-speed automatic transmission that can shift harshly and erratically, causing the vehicle to jerk, lunge, clunk, hesitate, surge, or slip between gears. Some consumers have even reported experiencing a sudden loss of power while driving their vehicles,” the lawsuit states. “This common design and/or manufacturing defect in Ford’s 10R80 transmissions is a potentially life-threatening safety issue, and Ford has refused to recall or replace the defective Transmissions.”

Ford has issued several Technical Service Bulletins in relation to the problem, but the company has maintained that the issues being reported are normal, and refused to repair or recall the vehicles.

The lawsuit indicates that if plaintiffs and class members had known about the transmission problems, they would not have purchased the vehicles, or would have paid significantly less for them.

The class action includes a lengthy list of examples of complaints submitted by vehicle owners to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over the last several years.

The lawsuit presents claims of breach of warranty, negligence, fraud, fraudulent concealment, unjust enrichment and violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Plaintiffs seek to have the lawsuit given class action status and call for Ford to pay compensatory and punitive damages to vehicle owners.