The Coyote Gets Called Out
The Coyote V8 is a versatile engine, having been used in everything from high-performance Ford Mustangs to workhorse F-150s. Unfortunately, the 5.0-liter engine took a toll and was hit with a lawsuit alleging excessive oil consumption in 2018–2020 F-150s, an issue that could leave owners frequently topping up their oil while potentially creating reliability problems.
More recently, the class-action lawsuit, Lyman et al. v. Ford Motor Company, moved forward in court. Car Complaints reported that a federal judge dismissed some claims while allowing others to proceed, finding evidence from which a reasonable jury could conclude that Ford knew about the alleged problem before the affected trucks were sold or leased.
Ford
An Unwanted Pull
Ford acknowledged the F-150’s oil-consumption problem and said it identified the cause in 2019. During deceleration, when the driver lifts off the accelerator and engine braking occurs, the fuel-saving deceleration fuel shutoff system can create enough vacuum to draw excessive oil past the piston rings and into the combustion chamber.
Significant amounts of substances other than air and fuel are not supposed to enter the combustion chamber. Water, for example, cannot be compressed and can cause severe internal damage if enough enters the cylinder. In this case, the oil could be burned, causing the trucks’ oil levels to fall more quickly and potentially contributing to carbon buildup.
The plaintiffs also cited Ford’s requirement that its vehicles achieve an oil-consumption rate of at least 10,000 miles per quart. In response, the Blue Oval argued that the figure was an internal laboratory standard rather than an expectation based on real-world driving.
Ford
The Court Trims the Case
While several claims remain, the court dismissed claims under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, express-warranty claims, an implied-warranty claim, and negligent-misrepresentation claims.
The issue concerns 2018–2020 F-150s equipped with the third-generation Coyote V8. Newer F-150s use the fourth-gen Coyote, which gained cylinder deactivation and a slight performance bump. It currently produces 400 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, placing it between the base 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 and the 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 in the conventional engine lineup. The range-topping F-150 Raptor R also uses a 720-horsepower, 5.2-liter supercharged V8 derived from the Coyote architecture, further demonstrating the engine family’s versatility.
Ford
