Ford Edge SUVs reportedly have flex plates that crack and break and do a lot of damage.
March 26, 2021 – The rattle of Ford Edge has sparked a class action lawsuit alleging the engine flex plate is defective, causing the Edge to suddenly stall and unexpectedly stall.
According to the lawsuit, the rattle occurs in the 2015-2018 Ford Edge SUVs, which are equipped with 2-liter EcoBoost engines in four vehicle configurations: Special Edition, Special Edition Limited, Titanium and Sport.
According to the three plaintiffs who filed the class action, the flexplate is located between the engine and the transmission and is used to “store the energy generated by the engine until it is needed, and deliver it smoothly and evenly [the gearbox],. . . to propel the vehicle. “
The Edge flex plate captures the energy generated by the motor and stores it by rotating at a speed that is usually steady and steady. The lawsuit says that energy is then transferred to the torque converter, which transfers the energy to the transmission.
Plaintiffs allege that the alleged 2015-2018 Ford Edge flexplate problem occurs when the area between the circular bolt patterns for the crankshaft and torque converter fails due to cracking or breaking.
The edge flex plate supposedly separates completely around the bolts, leaving a central portion of the ring gear on the crankshaft and the outer portion on the torque converter. Owners who notice the rattle say the original flex plates are defective and replacement flex plates have cracks and breaks like the originals.
One of the plaintiffs says he owns a 2015 Ford Edge that made a rattling noise from the engine in February 2020. The noise was loudest when the Edge started and idled, but it was also heard under normal driving conditions.
He took the SUV to a Ford dealer and told the technician about the rattling noise, but the Ford technician reportedly “couldn’t identify a problem, failed to reveal the flexplate defect, and no service was performed.”
The plaintiff says he was driving five days later when the Edge stopped moving forward even though the engine was running. The plaintiff tugged on the shoulder and switched off the engine, but refused to restart and had the SUV towed to the Ford dealership.
This time, Ford said the Edge flex plate broke and damaged the Bendix drive, crankshaft seal, and starter, all of which needed to be replaced. The plaintiff also says he was billed $ 2,040 to repair the Edge, $ 150 for towing it, and $ 200 for a rental car.
According to the class action lawsuit, the owner sent a letter to Ford, but the automaker said the flexplate problem occurred outside of the warranty period and Ford would not cover the cost of the repair.
Seven months later, the plaintiff allegedly heard a rattle and the Ford dealer discovered that the flexplate had cracked. This time the Edge was reportedly at the dealership for five weeks while the flexplate was being replaced again, with only 6,000 miles on the old flexplate.
However, the plaintiff says he was not billed for the second flexplate replacement but still had to wait five weeks to receive his Edge from the dealer.
The lawsuit further alleges that the Ford Edge flex plate cracked again for the third time in less than a year. This time, the dealer is said to have kept the SUV for six weeks but did not charge anything to replace the flex plate.
The plaintiff says Ford should have told him about the alleged defective Edge flex plates that cause rattle noises.
The class action lawsuit relates to technical service bulletin SSM 47398 issued in July 2018 regarding a rattle noise caused by a cracked motor flex plate. Ford dealers have been asked to replace the flex plates in the 2015-2018 Edge SUVs.
Another bulletin (TSB 19-2236) was issued to dealers in August 2019 addressing rattle noises in Ford Edge SUVs equipped with 2.0-liter EcoBoost engines.
“Some 2015-2018 Edge vehicles that are equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine may have a rattle. This may be more noticeable when idling. This may be due to a flexplate tear around the crankshaft.” – TSB 19-2236
Dealers were directed to replace the Ford Edge flexplate, torque converter, flexplate bolts, front gear pump, and sometimes the short engine block.
The class action lawsuit alleges that Ford had to recall all SUVs in order to properly repair the vehicles and extend the flexplate warranty coverage. The lawsuit also alleges that other Ford vehicles are affected by flexplate defects.
The lawsuit against Ford Edge rattles was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: Straub et al., V. Ford Motor Company.
The plaintiffs are represented by Barbat Mansour Suciu & Tomina PLLC, Greg Coleman Law PC and Whitfield Bryson LLP.
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