A Sydney father who spent nearly $85,000 on a Ford Ranger Raptor won a major legal victory against Ford Motor Company. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal appeal panel ruled on January 9 that his case must be reheard after he presented significant new evidence.
Matthew Patruno, a father of two, bought the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor 2.0L Bi-Turbo diesel in January 2023. He purchased the ex-demo model with only 4,000km on it for $84,980, hoping to use it for family trips to places like Cape York and Fraser Island. The truck became a nightmare almost immediately.
According to the Daily Mail, Patruno traded in a “perfect” Range Rover Velar to buy this truck. “We swapped to meet our family’s needs, we wanted to do travel, adventure, but it’s been a nightmare,” he said. He’s now demanding a full refund from Ford.
The Ranger Raptor’s safety issues make it unsuitable for everyday driving
The problems started quickly. Patruno says the Ranger had a persistent oil degradation issue and would suddenly lose power without warning, even during normal driving. He recalled a scary moment in peak-hour traffic: “I was in peak-hour traffic and the Ranger suddenly lost power, the car behind, it was only doing 60kmh, almost crashed into me, I almost got cleaned up.”
He had to service the vehicle three times in ten months. “Eventually I said ‘enough is enough’, it’s a new car and I had to get it serviced three times in ten months, that’s excessive for a new car,” Patruno stated. He argued this showed a major fault, especially since he rarely drives off-road and only put 50,000km on it in three years.
Patruno sued Ford and the dealership in November 2024 for the nearly $85,000 refund. In June last year, the tribunal dismissed his claim. Ford argued the Ranger’s Intelligent Oil Life Monitoring system was working correctly and that Patruno was driving in “severe conditions” in Sydney traffic, which required more frequent servicing. This case adds to Ford’s ongoing struggles with vehicle reliability.
Patruno found this absurd. “You would think a vehicle, especially a Ranger, would be able to handle driving in metropolitan centres,” he said. He pointed out that attempting one of his planned interstate trips would “require at least two services” just to complete the journey.
Patruno appealed the decision with new evidence. An expert report from Car Solutions in August confirmed the fault “still exists.” The appeal panel agreed this evidence was significant and admitted it. The panel also noted the initial tribunal failed to address whether the Ranger was “unfit for purpose” due to excessive service requirements.
The case will now be reheard by a different member. Patruno called his vehicle a “deathtrap” and warned others to “stay away” from the Ranger. His experience mirrors other recent vehicle malfunction nightmares faced by frustrated car owners.
Published: Jan 17, 2026 12:15 pm