Certain Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator SUVs Prone to Catching Fire, Class Action Says

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A proposed class action alleges certain model year Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs are prone to catching fire. 

The 68-page complaint alleges Ford Motor Company knew of the 2021 model year Expedition and Navigator spontaneous fire risk yet “did nothing to warn owners and lessees until very recently.” To this day, the case says, Ford has yet to offer a remedy for the problem or suggest when a proper fix might be available. 

According to the suit, the Expedition and Navigator models at issue suffer from an engine compartment defect, and fires can occur while a vehicle is parked or driving. To date, there have been 16 engine compartment fires in a population of 39,000 Expedition and Navigators, the case states. Twelve of the incidents reportedly occurred while the vehicle was parked and off, and three occurred while driving, the suit relays. 

The filing says that Ford has “yet to identify, or even speculate, as to the root cause of these fires,” hinting only that they’ve originated “from the passenger side rear engine compartment vicinity.”

“The catastrophic fire risk is the direct result of a defect that was known or should have been known to Ford and is still unremedied by Ford,” the lawsuit alleges, claiming that the automaker has misrepresented the vehicles’ safety, reliability, functionality and quality. 

Rather than offer a proper fix for the spontaneous fire issue, Ford, the filing says, has merely advised drivers to park their vehicles away from homes and property. In light of this, the lawsuit contends that a vehicle that cannot be driven without an unreasonable fire risk and cannot be parked or stored near a person’s residence is “not fit for its ordinary purpose.” 

Moreover, Ford has offered no clarity on what it considers to be a “safe” distance away from a structure, much less advised drivers on what they should do if they have no such place to park their Expedition or Navigator, the case says. 

“This places an unfair burden on class members who are unable to safely operate vehicles they paid a premium for and are unable to park in their garage (and may have to park quite far away from their homes to park away from other vehicles),” the filing argues. 

As the lawsuit tells it, consumers have been left with the “Hobson’s choice” of either attempting to park their vehicles at a safe distance or otherwise selling their cars due to the apparent fire risk. 

The case looks to cover all persons or entities in the United States who bought or leased a model year 2021 Ford Expedition or Lincoln Navigator. 

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