Ford owners have had an awfully rough time recently as they face what looks as if an limitless onslaught of recalls, but now some owners are pushing back. A recent class motion lawsuit alleges that an early 2024 recall nullifies the supposedly ruggedized, short-lived Transit Trail all-terrain van’s all-terrain-ness, and that addressing the recall defeats the aim of the $12,500 price premium they paid for the Trail trim over an ordinary Transit.
The Transit Trail never really made waves, so in case you forgot it was ever sold from the factory like me, it was introduced in late 2022 as an off-road ready version of Ford’s Transit van with more ground clearance, upgraded underbody protection, and beefy 30.5-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse tires. It was introduced on the tail end of the early phases of the pandemic when overlanding and van life felt just like the only thing that anyone within the automotive industry could discuss, and it competed with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4.
An excessive amount of tire on the Transit
The Transit Trail was originally sold with a comparatively low minimum ground clearance of 6.7 inches, despite being advertised to the overlanding and van life crowds as an admittedly cool looking and simple place to begin for a customized all-terrain overland rig. Ford ended up recalling all Transit Trails early last 12 months because those big tires that gave the Trail trim its extra ground clearance could contact and rub on the van’s wheel arch liner in certain scenarios. When owners took their off-road van to get the recall addressed, their 30.5-inch tires were replaced with smaller 28.5-inch tires that decreased the Trail’s ground clearance to a mere 5.5 inches. The substitute tires are the identical tires which can be on regular, non-Trail Transits.
The lawsuit alleges the Trail trim cost a further $12,500 over an ordinary Transit, and that Ford promised its “adventure-ready chassis is re-tuned and tested to fulfill the identical BUILT FORD TOUGH durability standards as the remaining of the Transit lineup,” but that was a false promise. It also alleges that Ford was aware of the tire rub issue and the way the bottom clearance–robbing fix nullifies the advertised abilities of the Transit Trail that they paid a price premium for.
We reached out to Ford for comment on the matter, and can update this text with any recent information we receive.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
