In the case of Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang owners vs. Ford, a 4-year-old lawsuit that won’t seem to go away, Ford took a double ding this month.
The case revolves around owners of the 2016 performance model who allege that, despite being marketed as “track ready,” the car was prone to overheating and a sudden power loss referred to as “limp mode.”
This month, U.S. District Court Judge Federico Moreno in the Southern District of Florida in Miami, certified a class of owners for a class-action case.
But Moreno also summed up the case in a way that would have made the car’s namesake, the late racing legend and Ford partner Carroll Shelby, wince.
“The iconic Ford Mustang made an indelible pony-shaped mark on American car culture,” the judge wrote admiringly in his order. “Through product placement in James Bond movies and racing partnerships with figures like Carroll Shelby, Ford has spent half a century cultivating an aura of performance and adventure. But these plaintiffs allege, to Lee Iacocca’s chagrin, that their cars are more like Pintos than Mustangs.”
