SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ford Motor Company on Tuesday settled claims by 40 U.S. state attorneys general that the company made misleading claims about the fuel economy and payload capacity of some of its vehicles, violating state consumer protection laws.
Now, this Ford age discrimination lawsuit has reportedly been settled. “Lawyers on both sides of the dispute laid down their swords and worked collaboratively to reach a resolution,” Michael Pitt, a lawyer for the former Ford employees, told the Detroit Free Press. “We exchanged ideas, there was trust established and so the matter got resolved.”
Reed, et al., v. Ford Motor Company. According to the Ford EcoBoost class action lawsuit, the engines have inadequate seals on the cylinder heads and grooves where the cylinder heads attach to the engine blocks. Coolant allegedly enters through the grooves where it pools and degrades the gasket seals and causes coolant to leak into the cylinders.
The lawsuit involved the safety of the design of the Ford Pinto automobile, manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. The jury awarded plaintiffs $127.8 million in damages, the largest ever in US product liability and personal injury cases.
In the Richard Grimshaw case, in addition to awarding over $3 million in compensatory damages to the victims of a Pinto crash, the jury awarded a landmark $125 million in punitive damages against Ford. The judge reduced punitive damages to 3.5 million.
Mrs. Lilly Gray, the driver of the Pinto, suffered fatal burns and 13-year-old Richard Grimshaw, a passenger in the Pinto, suffered severe and permanently disfiguring burns on his face and entire body. Grimshaw and the heirs of Mrs. Gray (Grays) sued Ford Motor Company and others.
As reported by Law360, U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley has consolidated three proposed class actions against Ford Motor Co. into a single coordinated proceeding. The suits are all based on similar allegations that Ford's “EcoBoost” engines have a dangerous defect which can cause complete engine failure.
In contrast, Ford figured that 2,100 accidents would result in 180 burn deaths. They then determined that out of court settlements would amount to $200,000 for each life lost, $67,000 per serious injury, and $700 for each lost vehicle.
It was later revealed that Ford presented flawed data and bad math to hide even cheaper options to fix the Pinto. Despite Ford's efforts, they were ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall the Pinto in 1978. In the meantime, in 1977, a Pinto unexpectedly passed a NHTSA crash test.
In April, 1974, the Center for Auto Safety petitioned NHTSA to recall Ford Pintos due to defects in the design of the strap on gas tank which made it susceptible to leakage and fire in low to moderate speed collisions.
A Tragic Car Accident According to reports, the other car could not avoid impact at 37 miles per hour. The driver of the Pinto was fatally burned and the passenger, 13-year-old Richard Grimshaw, suffered disfiguring burns requiring surgeries over the next 10 years.
Grimshaw, who now lives in Anaheim, Calif., has undergone more than 50 operations to repair burn damage.
If you purchased or leased a Ford or Lincoln vehicle equipped with an Ecoboost engine as described above and would like to learn more about the cases, please call us at 888.317. 0158 or send an email to [email protected].
Joining the class action lawsuit can be done by filing the relevant arbitration notice(s) via the links on FordTransmissionSettlement.com by Oct. 6, 2020.
You may give direct notice to Ford by calling 1-888-260-4563 or by filling out the applicable form here. How long do I have to submit my repurchase claim before it expires? You have six years from delivery to the first retail customer, or November 4, 2020, whichever is later, to submit a request to arbitrate.
Ford Fire Lawsuit. A lawsuit has been filed against Ford Motor Company alleging the company put profits ahead of safety by negligently allowing its vehicles to be manufactured with electrical components that can become too hot, potentially starting a fire within the vehicle. These Ford fires have the potential to be serious, ...
Due to the statute of limitations, it is important you seek legal help as soon as possible, to ensure you are compensated for any losses you suffered as a result of a defective Ford vehicle.
Meanwhile, also in 2017, Ford announced it was issuing separate recalls of more than 441,000 vehicles-including the Escape and Fusion sedan-due to issues that could cause engine fires and a problem that could result in doors swinging open while the vehicle was in motion . The engine fire issue was reportedly linked to 29 reports of fires.
Consumers rely on automotive companies like Ford to provide accurate information as to a vehicle’s safety. By representing its vehicles as safe and reliable, and by not conducting a proper investigation and/or recall of its vehicles, Ford misrepresented the safety of its Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car, and Mercury Grand Marquis automobiles and put car owners at risk of a Ford burning incident.
One plaintiff alleges she was driving a Mercury Grand Marquis when the electrical wiring became too hot, causing part of the material around the burned section to melt. This melted material fell onto the plaintiff’s leg, resulting in second and third-degree burns.
In 2014, around 28,000 2012-2013 Edge crossover utility vehicles were recalled due to possible fuel leaks that could cause a fire. Also in 2014, the company recalled around 4,500 full size 2011 vans due to bubbles in the windshield that could cause visibility problems.
During the time of the alleged concealment, more than 200,000 vehicles carrying the defect were reportedly sold in the U.S. According to the lawsuit, plaintiffs would not have purchased the vehicles in question if they had known about their unreasonably dangerous defect.
According to the Ford EcoBoost class action lawsuit, the engines have inadequate seals on the cylinder heads and grooves where the cylinder heads attach to the engine blocks.
A class action is a type of lawsuit where a small number of plaintiffs can represent an entire group of vehicle owners in a court of law. These lawsuits typically ask the automaker to extend warranties or offer financial compensation to owners ...
Case Filed#N#May 2021#N#A Ford Mustang class action lawsuit alleges the cars have defective wiring harnesses in the trunk lids that cause failures of the backup cameras, trunk releases, trunk lights and satellite radio reception.
One of Ford's "solutions" to excessive oil concerns in the F-150 was to install new dipsticks with lowered minimum fill level markings. No wonder they're getting sued. A proposed class-action lawsuit says Ford needs to properly address oil consumption issues in the 5.0-liter Coyote engine.
Ford's motion to dismiss was denied because the judge says the latest amended lawsuit is the 'operative complaint' and as long as the California plaintiffs provided Ford with 30 days notice prior to the filing of the third amended lawsuit, the judge found this was good enough to satisfy the notice requirement of the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act.
Ford refused and switched to computer simulated rollover tests instead.
Ford has reluctantly settled a class-action lawsuit for using defective Takata airbags. Although agreeing to settle the case without the court deciding right or wrong, Ford continues to deny all liability and wrongdoing concerning the vehicles.