Wrong Tires Ruined Ford Transit Trail's Promised Off-Road Chops, Now There's a Lawsuit
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Last year, Ford recalled its short-lived off-roady Transit Trail van, replacing its original aggressive all-terrain tires with smaller ones because the knobby tires rubbed the body. Now, according to Car Complaints , Transit Trail owners have filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware—Provo, et al., v. Ford Motor Company—and allege that Ford not only knew about its oversized tire issue before the van went on sale, but that its recall fix ruins its off-road ability.
When asked about this lawsuit, a Ford spokesperson only said, 'Ford does not typically comment on pending litigation matters.'
Adding taller tires with deeper blocks is the easiest and most logical first step to increasing any vehicle's off-road capabilities. However, you can't usually upsize a tire very much without also raising the suspension, which is why lift kits exist.
In 2022, Ford brought its European off-road Transit van to North America for the 2023 model year, but a problem quickly arose. Its tires were too big. The whole point of the rugged Ford Transit Trail was to give it that YouTuber #vanlife capability right out of the box, with beefy 30.5-inch all-terrain tires and all-wheel drive. However, those tires apparently weren't completely compatible with the vehicle's ride height and would rub during cornering and braking situations, especially with extra weight in the van.
A little rub might be acceptable to some people running a home-brewed setup with aftermarket parts, but the whole appeal of an OEM off-road model is to skip substandard functionality shenanigans like that. And surely people bought the van specifically to outfit it for an outdoor living style, so extra weight was kind of the name of the game. Ford
As for the official context: 'Due to insufficient packaging allowance, the front tires may contact the front wheel arch liner and body flange under certain vehicle loading, steering angle, and braking conditions,' said the March 2024 NHTSA recall report. 'Repeated contact of a front tire with the wheel arch liner and body flange may lead to rapid air loss and tread-belt separation, which can result in a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.'
Then, in March 2025, Ford sent a letter to Transit Trail owners about the recall repair. 'Ford Motor Company has authorized your dealer to inspect the weld flange and repair if needed, replace all valve stems and all 4 tires with Goodyear 235/65R16C tires, replace both front wheel arch liners, update the vehicle software, and replace the Safety Certification and TREAD Act labels free of charge (parts and labor).'
So the tires went from 30.5-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse tires to 28-inchers. However, that tire switch dramatically hampered its off-road capability, reducing ground clearance by more than an inch and worsening its off-road angles. Instead of smaller tires, the plaintiffs reportedly want Ford to issue a 'prompt, complete, and effective recall or free replacement/repair program.' Ford
However, also in March 2025, Ford discontinued the Transit Trail from the lineup altogether, citing supply chain issues. A Ford representative told Ford Authority that 'On-going challenges in the supply chain and part availability constraints impacted 2023 and 2024 Transit vans equipped with the Trail package, so we made the decision to remove package availability from the [2025 model year] Transit program while we prioritize delivering parts and service to customers with impacted vehicles.' However, they did say that Ford would reassess its future sales viability.
It seems odd that Ford can't create a different fix for the Transit Trail that keeps its larger all-terrain tires without damaging anything. Perhaps different springs, shocks, or both could fix the problem, but that might be too costly for a vehicle that isn't on sale anymore. However, if Ford can develop a proper fix, maybe the Transit Trail goes back on sale without any dangerous tire rubbing, and existing customers can have the exact vehicle they paid for.
Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com
Nico DeMattia is a staff writer at The Drive. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career.
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