Bosch CP4 High-Pressure Fuel Injection Pump Failure Lawsuit

Fuel injection pumps are used to pump diesel fuel into a diesel engine’s internal combustion chamber. Pressurized fuel is pumped into the fuel injector, and is sent to the combustion chamber as needed by an electronically-controlled valve.

Vehicles with older diesel engines were built with the Bosch CP3 pump, which operated smoothly but not efficiently. For greater fuel efficiency, Ford and Bosch developed the CP4 pump for models beginning in 2011. The CP4 pump creates higher pressure with less volume, thereby being a more efficient pump than its predecessor.

Despite being more efficient, the CP4 pump allegedly has the capability to destroy the entire fuel system in some vehicles and lead to costly repairs.

The primary reason the CP4 pump is said to fail is because the pump was not designed for diesel fuel in the United States.

Bosch is a European company, and Europe uses diesel fuel with more sulfur than U.S. diesel fuel. The cleaner, Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel used in America does not lubricate the CP4 as well as European diesel, makes it difficult on the CP4’s hydraulic pistons to continue working, according to the experts at Diesel Army.

The CP4 also is said to struggle to supply adequate fuel to the engine under the lower pressure of these more efficient engines. The result is the formation of air bubbles inside the CP4. Air in the pump means that metal rubs against metal, causing accelerated wear. This will eventually cause the CP4 to fail, often around 100,000 miles. Before it fails, metal shavings are produced by the CP4, which travel into the fuel injectors and the fuel lines with catastrophic results.

Owners of vehicles that include the CP4 pump have turned to costly add-ons to prevent CP4 failure.

The problem with the CP4 pump is so well known that several companies sell expensive kits that cost up to $3,600 (before labor costs) to try to prevent the problem. Popular fixes involve boosting the fuel pressure with an additional pump, or replacing the CP4 with the more reliable, but less fuel efficient, CP3 pump.

Others have turned to a “cheaper” fix, but it doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. For $400 (before labor costs), car owners can purchase a Disaster Prevention Kit, which will reroute the fuel going from the CP4 to the gas tank, so that the shrapnel will be captured by fuel filters before entering the engine if the CP4 fails. This kit, however, doesn’t fix the CP4, it only means the vehicle owner will have to replace the CP4 when it fails, not the entire fuel system.

Owners of the following vehicles have likely spent money to resolve CP4 issues, or have had to replace the entire fuel system in their vehicle when the CP4 failed:

GM

• 2011-present GM Sierra trucks with 6.6L V8 Duramax LML engines
• 2010-2011 GM Savana vans with diesel engines
• Certain GM Sierra diesel trucks with RPO ZW9 chassis cabs or pickup box delete

Chevrolet

• 2011-present Chevy 3500 Silverado trucks with 6.6L V8 Duramax LML engines
• 2010-2011 Chevy Express vans with diesel engines

Ford

• 2011-present Ford pickups with 6.7L V8 PowerStroke diesel engines

Dodge

• 2014-present Dodge Ram pickups with 3.0L diesel engines

Jeep

• 2014-present Jeep Grand Cherokees with 3.0L diesel engines

When you purchase a product — especially something as expensive as a motor vehicle — you expect it to work as advertised. Yet, the fuel systems in some diesel cars, trucks, and SUVs are reportedly at risk of damage because the injection pumps are said to not be compatible with U.S. diesel fuel standards. This is not your fault, and you shouldn’t have to pay the price.

The vehicle manufacturers should have known about the incompatibility of U.S. diesel fuel before installing the CP4 fuel injection pump on their engines. Now, consumers are facing several thousand-dollar bills to fix the problem, and it turns out the actual value of their vehicle is less than what was advertised.

If you own a vehicle with a CP4 fuel injection pump installed in the engine, contact us today. We may be able to get the manufacturer to cover your vehicle’s diminished value and CP4 pump failure repairs, in addition to other damages. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case review to learn more.