Nearly four years ago, a lawsuit was filed in Canada pertaining to 2018-2020 Ford F-150 pickups equipped with the 5.0L V8 Coyote engine, which claimed that a variety of faulty internal components were causing those powerplants to exhibit excessive oil consumption – in some cases, leading to engine failure. Plaintiffs claimed that Ford has had “longstanding knowledge” of the issue, but has not taken action to rectify it or notify customers of the problem. Now, The Blue Oval is asking a judge to throw out another similar lawsuit, which was filed mere months after that one.
This lawsuit – Lyman, et al., v. Ford Motor Company – was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan by plaintiffs represented by the Miller Law Firm, P.C., Sauder Schelkopf, Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC, and Baron & Herskowitz, according to Car Complaints. It also alleges that 2018-2020 Ford F-150 models equipped with the Coyote V8 feature “piston ring assembly and cylinder coating in the Class Vehicles [that] are defective,” “permitting engine oil to seep into the combustion chamber of the engine” instead of “preventing oil from by-passing the rings,” according to the lawsuit.
Ford has argued that it set a “minimum criterion for oil consumption for average retail customers based on laboratory/customer correlation” of 10,000 miles per quart (MPQ), which it calculated using “engine laboratory oil consumption … mapped to public road vehicle operating conditions.” It adds that MPQ isn’t based on real-world driving behaviors and is only used as a benchmark for internal testing purposes, and that it “does not quantify expected oil consumption in the Owner’s Manual or other customer information.”
Ultimately, Ford determined that the problem stems from “when a running change was made to the engine’s valve stem seals (a cylinder head component unrelated to the piston assembly),” after which it issued a technical service bulletin with a new powertrain control module calibration aimed at fixing it. As such, Ford is asking the judge to throw this lawsuit out due to the notion that the plaintiffs do not have evidence to support their claims, and because customers received free repairs when they reported oil consumption problems within the warranty time and mileage limits.
Comments
How can you fix a mechanical problem by changing the calibration of the power train control module that’s the biggest crock of feces I’ve ever heard.
I don’t see how putting a shorter dipstick and more oil the motor helped prevent anything . When I took my truck in that’s exactly what they did
I bought a used 2019 F-150 Lariat with 49,000km in Dec 2023, and just as it was approaching 60K the next spring, I started having issues. They started doing a consumption test, and in Oct 2024 they decided to replace my engine due to this issue. Got it in just in time to get covered by the powertrain warranty.
Regardless of whether it was piston rings, cyclinder wall linings or valve seals…if there is an issue, rectify it! Statements like “realworld” versus testing paramenters…is also a crock. Customers drive in “realworld” conditions…not in testing paramters. Come on folks…fix the problem and learn a lesson here.
I have owned Ford vehicles my whole life. My current 2018 F150 will be my last. Ford should be embarrassed about the lack of quality and lack of ownership to some of the issues that arise. Never before have I had a truck that I have to use ratchet straps to keep the doors closed in the winter, even after being “fixed”.
These actions by ford as listed in this article show a lack of care for their consumer base. On the long run, this will fail them.
Ford knows this is a problem, and the only way to fix this is a new engine. To many to recall. I have 2019 F-150 and have the same issue. I keep quart of oil on standby for this. I can’t afford another engine or transmission at this time. Yes the 10R80 transmission is also a problem in these trucks.
Robert Decatur, the put in a longer dipstick, not a shorter one. The shorter one was causing an overfilling situation.
Ronald L Keith, the programming change was done to reduce vacuum when letting off the throttle to prevent oil being sucked into the PCV system.
This is nothing more than ridiculous legal wrangling. Fords inexcusable lack of quality control, buying cheap parts to increase profit margins, manufacturing many models out of country for gross profit. Jim Farleys poor decisions and lies have taken a once great American Automotive Company and ruined it. Not replacing these defective engines , and lying to the courts, have sealed their fate. I personally will never buy another Ford or Lincoln product !