Overheating Shelby GT350 Mustangs Spark Class-action Lawsuit

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Calling the blistering Shelby GT350 Mustang “track-ready” has led to unexpected consequences for Ford Motor Company. As of late yesterday, the automaker finds itself the subject of a class-action lawsuit.

Owners of 2016 models are turning up the heat on the Blue Oval after their vehicles’ transmissions and differentials overheated, forcing the cars into performance-sapping (but component-saving) “limp mode.” Certain GT350s — base and Tech Package variants, to be exact — came from the factory without transmission and differential coolers. While fast, the models created headaches for some owners. Many drivers suddenly found themselves stuck in limp mode mid-race, or on the road.

The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. District Court in Florida by law firms Hagens Berman and Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, claims Ford’s declaration of track-readiness, coupled with the lack of cooling systems, isn’t safe. Power and speed loss can occur within 15 minutes of the start of a race, the suit states. The plaintiffs claim the sudden loss of power can prove disorienting, increasing the odds of a crash. (You can watch a video of a limp mode intervention here.)

Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman, said owners paid over $50,000 for a product that didn’t live up to expectations.

“We believe that Ford induced purchasers with its ‘track-ready’ marketing, when in fact it knew that this defect would ultimately bar these Mustangs from ever being the hotrod consumers paid for,” he said in a media release. “Ford’s only answer to owners has effectively been, ‘pay for a fix on your own dime.'”

The suit demands Ford reimburse owners for the purchase cost of the vehicle, as well as punitive damages and depreciation costs.

While Ford has since installed transmission and differential coolers as standard equipment on all 2017 Shelby GT350 models, it doesn’t help owners of 2016 vehicles. The full performance potential of those models could only be unlocked by ordering a $6,500 Track Package. Not surprisingly, complaints about the earlier model’s limited endurance cropped up quickly. Many owners took to online forums to air their frustrations.

One Utah owner posting on gt350.org last October claimed the Ford salesman who sold him the Mustang said his Tech Package model came equipped with the proper cooling systems.

“As you can expect, I’m not very happy to find out that my car doesn’t have the diff and trans coolers it needs to even last a 20 min track session without going into limp mode,” the poster wrote. Other forums revealed similar gripes. While many owners claim that even base-model GT350s should be capable of handling the rigors of a track, other claim they simply should have known to buy the Track Package.

Ford has so far not responded to the lawsuit.

[Image: Ford Motor Company]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Higheriq Higheriq on Mar 24, 2017

    "Track ready" does not equal "race ready". This is just another frivolous lawsuit by money-hungry attorneys. Complete B.S.

  • Jfbar167 Jfbar167 on Mar 24, 2017

    I'm sure what makes it worse , is "most" of the early cars had a (little) markup on them. You think for 80K+ they can run a few laps.

    • Raph Raph on Mar 24, 2017

      So the manufacturer should anticipate dealer mark-up when they design a car and how it performs? In that case I wonder how one of the first buyers of the Plymouth Prowler felt when he paid 90k for his V6 Hot Rod only to have it soundly beaten by a much less expensive Camaro and Firebird at the time? What about he 911R? It was selling for a substantial increase over the GT2 should it have offered half a million dollars in performance since that is what some dealers were charging for it.

  • Kwik_Shift Hyunkia'sis doing what they do best...subverting expectations of quality.
  • MaintenanceCosts People who don't use the parking brake when they walk away from the car deserve to have the car roll into a river.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
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