— A Ford Mustang class action lawsuit alleges the cars have defective wiring harnesses in the trunk lids that cause failures of the backup cameras, trunk releases, trunk lights and satellite radio reception.
The lawsuit alleges 2015-2017 Mustangs in Illinois are dangerous because critical safety equipment either fails or works only part of the time.
Ford allegedly knew the trunk lid wiring harnesses had problems before the Mustangs were ever sold, yet the automaker allegedly didn't warn customers about the dangers.
Illinois plaintiff Enrique Rodriguez owns a 2015 Ford Mustang he purchased in October 2019, but in November 2019 the Mustang's backup camera began to malfunction. The plaintiff claims he received less than what he paid for because the backup camera still has problems.
The class action lawsuit says Ford issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 18-2362) in December 2018 informing service technicians of the wiring harness defect and recommending a repair procedure.
However, the plaintiff says Ford has not recalled the Mustangs or offered extended warranties for owners due to the trunk wiring harnesses.
And the plaintiff alleges the TSB repair procedure doesn't work anyway because Ford technicians are told to splice new wire into the harness to replace the broken wire, adding two new solder joints for each wire replaced.
According to the Mustang class action lawsuit, the solder joints are inflexible and even more prone to wear out and break than the original wiring. The plaintiff says this means the Mustangs will continue to have problems with the trunk lid wiring harnesses.
The class action says Ford dealers routinely tell Mustang owners that no problems could be found, causing owners to continue to lose their backup cameras and other features.
At other times dealerships allegedly inform Ford Mustang customers the repairs are not cheap even though the trunk lid wiring harness repairs are allegedly inadequate.
The Ford Mustang class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: Enrique Rodriguez, v. Ford Motor Company.
The plaintiff is represented by Barnow and Associates, P.C., and Ahdoot & Wolfson, PC.