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Has anyone seen this--Ford GT350 Law Suit

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Yes it's everywhere. TMO is not a supporter of this lawsuit. You may discuss but please don't post any information on how to join.
 
No doubt, there were engineers that argued that selling a GT350 without the requisite trans/diff coolers was a bad idea. Ultimately, they were shunned. This is the result.
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,529
5,242
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
If it does I'll buy a used one and upgrade. I put coolers on the boss why not on a low cost GT-350?

Ford did not call the GT-350 a race car without a license plate. That was the boss. We had cooling issues with the Boss on track, no one sued.

Sorry if I offend anyone but.... I sometimes wonder if we have too many lawyers with too much time on their hands.
 
1,022
99
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Texas
I don't really hate much but going through a divorce made me hate attorney's. The ones I dealt with promoted dishonesty because that's the only way to win. I greatly dislike our judicial system...it's needs some serious house cleaning. Rant complete
 
If it does I'll buy a used one and upgrade. I put coolers on the boss why not on a low cost GT-350?

Ford did not call the GT-350 a race car without a license plate. That was the boss. We had cooling issues with the Boss on track, no one sued.

Sorry if I offend anyone but.... I sometimes wonder if we have too many lawyers with too much time on their hands.
As well as the transmission shifting issues at high rpm's, maybe we should have sued.
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,529
5,242
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
Yep, make the lawyers profit and then what??

I swapped out the clutch and did not look back.

You want a high dollar track star?? Spend the high dollars.

To me, $42k was cheap for what I got.

I believe I read that the lawsuit addressed tech pack cars. A track prep would have the coolers. So someone bought the stereo, nav system etc, did not buy the track prep and then sues. Great.
 
The thing I don't get is I ordered my car the very first day the order banks were opened. All the GT350 info was available telling what each model had.
It's not hard to read that the base and tech cars were missing coolers. If you want to track your car, why would you need GPS and the crappy leather heated/cooled seats.
I ordered a track pack in 2015 knowing it had the coolers before I even placed my order. If I could have found one in my area I would of bought a base R. But I wish the track pack was the same as a base R (no AC, no radio, no back seat) but still had the aluminum wheels and non R aero. That to me would of been a great track pack car. Either way I'm happy, if I bought an R I'm not sure I would of touched it and did what I did to my track pack.
This lawsuit was because someone or some people hired them because for 2 years now the owners have been crying about their choice.
If I ordered my F150 knowing I was going to use it to tow my car without a trans cooler and towing package can I sue ford too?
Stupid if you ask me.


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TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,529
5,242
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
I order all my vehicles with tow, trailer packages. This way I get extra cooling and a larger alternator. Pickups, SUV's and sedans all with extra cooling.

I guess if I order a track pack car and get lost, I can sue ford...right.
 

50Deep

Jockin' GT350's
837
835
Sacramento
I will play devils advocate.

Here is the problem fellas. Most of you have been around the track long enough to know exactly what is needed for a car to survive there. That is good knowledge to have, but unfortunately many people do not. You are operating under the assumption that every potential buyer should have known about on track cooling. The car was built for the track enthusiast, but also marketed to bring those that had NEVER been to the track before into this hobby.

No matter how much research a potential buyer could have done, absolutely nowhere could you have found out that the tech package could not survive an HPDE, Autocross event, or touch limp mode on the street. No salesperson you could if asked would have been able to tell you how long the tech package would last on track, HPDE, or autocross. Nobody even knew the car had a limp mode function, as I don't think any other mustang previously released did. Sure, ford mentioned that coolers were needed. Nobody can argue that point. But that statement was left with ambiguity and open to interpretation. People such as yourselves with prior track experience took it to mean you will need coolers before going to the track. People without track knowledge had no idea the extent of what that meant, and honestly it was never published or disseminated to buyers. It wasn't until after buyers started to report the issue and enable the temp reading that it became common knowledge. The rub is that Ford tested the car and knew the limitations, but never made it known.

Can anyone honestly say that they weren't a little surprised when you first started to hear that any GT350 couldn't last an HPDE event? Which I have been told by many is not considered a race, just driving fast on track. Not even a little disappointed that Ford would allow a crutch into one of its halo cars that a mustang GT, V6, and Ecoboost model didn't have? And totally in shock when you heard some went into limp mode on the street?

I don't think anybody wants anything for free, nor should they not have to pay for the upgrade cost. I've paid that cost, but ford doesn't offer a warranty for OEM parts that the other cars have.The poor decision to subjugate the packages was a problem in marketing. People say if you wanted sofa seats you weren't serious about the track. But in 17 you can get sofa seats and track capability because NONE of the GT350's should have a limitation. 16 track cars will suffer reduced value simply because a 17 has the best of both packages. I don't see any potential buyer going for a 16 track with the small entertainment stack either since the 17 has it. Everyone loses on that game.

I am not for or against the lawsuit, but I do think those with limited vehicles have a legitimate concern. All anyone ever knew is what the car was, not what it wasn't.
 
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Well said.

Of note, "Limp Mode" has indeed been around for quite some time not only in Mustangs but across the board. Since EFI hit the scene in Fox chassis cars in 1986 there has been some form of failure mode effects management. It's an alternate strategy in the PCM based on certain sensor inputs (and in some cases, the lack thereof). It pains me when I see forum members (elsewhere) yap incessantly about limp mode as if it is some horribly instituted phenomenon created solely for base/Tech GT350 owners. It is used here as a proactive protective strategy, limiting rpm in order to protect certain critical components, namely the transmission/rear axle as without coolers those two items can create enough heat in certain circumstances to necessitate intervention, allowing cooldown.
 

50Deep

Jockin' GT350's
837
835
Sacramento
I hadn't personally heard of the limp mode in previous mustangs, but have in other makes/models. I like that it is there to prevent grenading the transmission though.

What were the prior issues with heat/cooling in the boss? I had no idea those cars had any
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
I hadn't personally heard of the limp mode in previous mustangs, but have in other makes/models. I like that it is there to prevent grenading the transmission though.

What were the prior issues with heat/cooling in the boss? I had no idea those cars had any

Cliffs Notes:

On hot days (85*F+) with track sessions 20 mins or longer, oil temps and coolant temps would rise enough to trigger engine protection (limp mode) when CHTs reached 245*F.

This led to many of us installing high-flow grilles, removing the grilles, adding bigger (or more) coolers/radiators in the street/track cars, and a like-minded increase in size and airflow control for air-to-oil coolers for both engine and transmission in the 13-14 302S vs. the 12 cars.
 

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