A judge has dismissed the Ford Duratec water pump lawsuit that was brought against Ford by owners of vehicles that are fitted with Ford Duratec engines that have a strange water pump design. The water pump in these vehicles is inside the engine, behind multiple components that are required to be removed to get to the pump. The biggest issue that the lawsuit takes with the water pump design is that when the pump fails, the coolant is leaked and mixes with the oil leading to a ruined engine that must be replaced.
The Ford Duratec water pump lawsuit alleged that millions of 2007 to present Ford vehicles are equipped with the allegedly defective water pumps that can cause engine damage. The plaintiffs in the case allege the water pumps can fail without any warning since the coolant leaks into the oil. One Ford Edge owner said the engine in their vehicle failed, and it cost $7,600 to replace the engine.
Another Ford Edge owner says that the engine failed on the highway, and it cost $1,200 to replace it with a used one. The owners claimed that the water pump replacement was expensive as well because of the location inside the engine leading to repair bills as high as $1,500. In the Ford Duratec water pump lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged that Ford deceived customers into believing the water pumps will last about 150,000 miles without the need for maintenance.
The suit filed 55 claims under 11 states’ laws, but all 55 were dismissed save two claims from one plaintiff. Those two claims were settled out of court with Ford leaving the entire case dismissed. The judge dismissed the suit because the plaintiffs’ amended lawsuit didn’t plead facts that allowed it to be inferred that “Ford knew or should have known the water pumps in the Cyclone (Duratec) engines were defective.”
The judge also stated that since the plaintiffs didn’t include those allegations in the suit, they didn’t have those allegations and dismissed the suit with prejudice barring the plaintiffs from filing the suit again. The judge has agreed to reconsider her decision to dismiss with prejudice once all parties have presented their arguments and will decide if plaintiffs can file a second amended lawsuit.
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Source: Car Complaints
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I always change a water pump before the manufacures recommend change just to be on the safe side.I always do it when doing a cambelt change or timeing chain.Millions have been produced and lasted.
How would you KNOW when to change the water pump on THIS 3.5L engine? The manufacturer has NO specific recommended replacement interval for TIMING CHAIN or WATER PUMP! And honestly, are you going to tear apart the engine to replace these components on a REGULAR basis?
I am pretty sure that all munfactures have designs where to replace one thing other thing have to be removed or the engine has to be removed to replace something so I don't see how this cost used as a sue claim
You're right! Ford didn't intentionally design these engines to break. It's just the nature of the beast, trying to make that V6 as compact as possible to fit in a transverse layout meant getting rid of an "outboard" pump! In my case, although I did not suffer any engine damage, I really became disheartened to learn that my 2012 Lincoln MKZ (a car I TRULY LOVED) could possibly become a "time bomb"! Reluctantly, I sold it before any sign of trouble showed. I have been a Ford "fan" for over 60years, and WILL CONTINUE to buy Fords. It's just that the NEXT time, I will do more research about their products BEFORE I sign on the dotted line!
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Regardless of cord built them knowing they would fail or not, they knew at any given time, it WOULD in fact fail. The timing chain is a LIFETIME part of the engine. The water pump is not supposed to last the lifetime of the engine. Therefore by them putting them inside the engine and driven by the timing chain, should have been enough proof that Ford knew WHEN they failed, NOT IF they did that it would labor intensive and very costly! I wanna know this, how much would it have cost Ford to put the waterpump on the outside of the engine? I guarantee it would've cost them alot less than us having to shell out thousands on repair costs! I mean seriously we aren't talking an entry level vehicles here, we are talking $30,000-$43,000+!!!!
So what about us that are still paying on our vehicles that now need thousands of dollars in repairs or new engine, and still have 4-5 years left to pay on our vehicles and can't afford to get another one, and no dealership will touch it. That's what I wanna know. I love my Ford taurus, I really do, but this water pump issue and needing thousands in work has caused me to lose my job over not having a way to get to work and my vehicle is now up for repo, which I'll wind up getting sued and having to pay 90-95% of what I owe on it now anyways for what it'll bring at auction only I won't have a car, and all for what? A flawed waterpump design that apparently Ford hasn't and isn't gonna do anything for us little people. Sad thing is I bought my mom a 2015 taurus and never was a Ford fan, until I seen hers and driven it and seen just how advanced and how far does gas come, (except the water pump) and liked hers so well, I traded in a Toyota I just bought 6 months prior for a 2 taurus 1 year older, and have loved the car up until the waterpumo failure. It breaks my heart to see it sitting there not running.
My Explorer 2015 got water pump defective last year before reach 70k miles
I have a 2013 Ford Flex with 75,000 miles, wonderful car until this weekend. Overheated, did drive it any longer had it towed to Ford. Needed a new water pump and radiator...cost over $3,500 and I have never missed an oil change. I think it is an issue. It wasn't the parts that cost me so much, it is the labor because of where the water pump is located. I think Ford is somewhat responsible because of placement.
I agree and have a 2013 Ford Flex have never missed an oil change always performed at the dealer. I just received an estimate of $2700.00 to repair due to where the water pump is located. It is very unfortunate that Ford has not done a recall on this issue.
I just got the new my 2015 Ford Explorer needs a new water pump, and the saddest part is they recommend a coolant flush and now this. My car never had any issues at all. Now I have to pay 3100. This is total bs and im at a loss for words SMH.
Yep, 2010 Ford Edge SEL with no more than 65K miles. Always well maintained, tires, oil changes, etc. drove to work yesterday (5-10 minute drive) then BAM! Slapped in the face with a $3,000 estimate to replace water pump, timing belt, engine flush because there’s coolant in the oil!! Are you kidding me? Clearly I’m not the only one here. This needs to be recalled. I love this car! What am I going to do?
yes delightful it is,I bought the 2012 MKT Lincoln in December 2012 and paid only $42,000 CASH for a beautiful retirement car. Fast forward october 2020 . MKT water pump failed,water mixed with oil and blew my well maintained 'retirement" luxury cruiser. We had a 2000 Caddy Deville that did the same trick,it lasted to 2011 and that great Northstar V8 took a seizure after overheATing THAT blew the head gasket(s), I got this one home and parked it. eHad to have teh Lincoln towed,. .. / Whats in my future? IREFUSE to buy any car not made in USA and that includes cars that Ford,GM, Buick and other Amurrican carmaked produse in China, South Korea, Mexico etc.... I did find one made here in michiigan, a Buick Enclave and look to buy a Used one with the reliable V6.
Mkt was built in canada...
Check out the timing chain issues (and results of a failure) on the Enclave. You’ll be doing yourself a favour.
We bought our 2008 Ford Edge off of the the show room floor. Over the years I became used to routine brake job replacements (Chicago metro roads are terrible year round) and a couple of ball joint replacements with control arms and a couple of shock absorbers. I never missed a scheduled oil change or tire rotation. I even changed oil before every long distance trip. So now October 2020, at 188,000 miles, I change the oil and transmission fluid last Tuesday the 27th and all was good. Before going to work on Friday I stop to fill with gas. I'm driving to work and the engine light goes on, the engine begins to hesitate, then chug and dies. I restart it and immediately drove (I live close to the original Ford dealer we purchased the Edge from) to the Ford dealer rolling into the dealers lot without power. They tell me today (Monday 11/2) I have to replace the internal water pump for $1,500 or a rebuilt motor for $3,500 or a new engine at $7,500. What the hell, I literally couldn't breath! I made a few phone calls to friends and one is a Ford mechanic of 40+ years. (retiring in two weeks) Ford is suppose to recommend a timing chain and oil pump replacement at 125,000 miles. I have reviewed every dealer paid receipt and have never been provided a written recommendation regarding the oil pump or timing chain. I'm absolutely besides myself, we cannot afford this. I agree with db above buying a low mileage Buick Enclave is probably the best bet available. So I'll replace the oil pump, no warranty available and immediately trade it off for the Buick.
I am in the same situation with my 2010 Ford Flex Limited. I had just gotten the expensive and well-known problem with the blown turbos taken care of ($2400 fixing it myself) AND then the water pump let go! I have been so disheartened with Ford over this I have simply let it sit in my shop yard for 2 years. Do I sell it for parts and lick my wounds? Or, do I spend $3000 on a replacement engine and try to unload it on some poor soul who thinks they are getting a good deal but will eventually have to replace the turbos AND the engine again. It is a sad state when I feel too guilty about fixing this piece of S### car. So I guess it is time for this thing to go to the graveyard.