"When large corporations abuse the trust of consumers and small businesses, the corporations must be held accountable through the civil justice system." When vehicle owners complained to Ford about the defect, Ford allegedly denied knowledge or responsibility, blamed driver error, and did not cover the replacement of the failed flex disc or the repair, shifting the cost to vehicle owners - often small businesses - instead. Plaintiffs allege Ford knew of the defect in 2014 through its knowledge of and experience with automotive engineering, pre-release evaluation and testing of the components and vehicles, as well as from sources such as field data, replacement part sales data, and early consumer complaints made directly to Ford and collected by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's Office of Defect Investigation. Ford continued to market and to sell the vehicle despite the alleged defect. Ford finally initiated a safety recall in June 2017, but does not have a permanent fix at this time.