Autoblog

Ford faces class-action lawsuit for selling vehicles without brake override systems

Zach Bowman — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

A total of 20 Ford customers are suing the automaker in a class-action lawsuit for selling vehicles "vulnerable to unintended acceleration." According to Reuters, the suit names 30 models built between 2002 and 2010 with electronic throttle control systems but without a brake override system. Those include the 2004-2012 F-Series pickups and the 2005-2009 Lincoln Town Car. Adam Levitt, a partner with the law firm of Grant & Eisenhofer says the plaintiffs in the case want "to be compensated for their economic losses by having overpaid for cars that contained defects." Levitt contends that the plaintiffs would not have bought their vehicles or paid less for them had they known there was no brake override system in place.

Ford began installing brake override systems in its vehicles beginning in 2010. In response to the lawsuit, Ford has pointed to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that indicated that unintended acceleration is mostly caused by driver error, saying in a statement that, "NHTSA's work is far more scientific and trustworthy than work done by personal injury lawyers and their paid experts."

Belville et al v. Ford Motor Co. will be heard in US District Court in the Southern District of West Virginia.

Ford faces class-action lawsuit for selling vehicles without brake override systems originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda wins Acura RL collision warning system class action lawsuit appeal

Zach Bowman — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Acura, Luxury

Honda can thank Wal-Mart for the automaker's recent victory in a class-action lawsuit over Acura RL models equipped with the company's Collision Mitigation Braking System. The system was designed to warn drivers of a potential crash, tighten the vehicle's seat belts and automatically apply the brakes. However, lawyers for approximately 2,000 plaintiffs sued the Japanese automaker, arguing that the system may warn the driver too slowly, and it may not work at all - the lawsuit also complained the system may shut off altogether in foul weather. Reuters says the suit involves RL models equipped with the optional CMBS system purchased or leased between August 17, 2005 and December 16, 2008.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California found that a court ruling in a Wal-Mart case last June effectively narrowed the scope of class-action lawsuits. The same ruling was found to apply to the suit against Acura as well. Previously, a district judge in Los Angeles had ordered that California's consumer protection laws could be applied to RL owners nationwide, but the new ruling repeals that judgment. The circuit court also reversed the district court's finding that car buyers could have relied on advertising by Honda about the collision system. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found there weren't enough common facts among the plaintiffs' claims to apply the California laws across the board.

At this point, it's unclear how the plaintiffs in the case will respond to the decision.

Honda wins Acura RL collision warning system class action lawsuit appeal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automakers to face $2B class-action for Canadian price discrepancies

John Neff — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal

A few days ago we posted on the price discrepancy between identical vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada. The discrepancy was always there, but became apparent when the value of the Canadian Loonie reached parity with the U.S. dollar recently. It was then that consumers couldn't ignore the fact that they were paying more for vehicles than their U.S. neighbors, up to 38% in some cases.

The Toronto-based class-action lawsuit firm Juroviesky and Ricci is taking up the case and expected to file a $2 billion class-action suit on behalf of four Canadians who feel that they paid more for their cars than they would have in the U.S. The class-action suit is open to any Canadian consumer who bought a new vehicle between August, 2005 and August, 2007 when the Canadian dollar was rapidly appreciating, but the prices of Canadian cars weren't adjusting.

Thanks for the tip, SS3!

[Source: Canada.com, photo by KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty]

Continue reading Automakers to face $2B class-action for Canadian price discrepancies

Automakers to face $2B class-action for Canadian price discrepancies originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Odo Uh-Oh: Honda extending warranties on 6 million cars

John Neff — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Honda

Honda has decided to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleges its odometers were racking up miles too fast. The automaker says odometers on some 6 million Hondas affected by the suit were accurate to within 3.75% on the high side. The NHTSA doesn't regulate odometer accuracy, and the only industry standard is a voluntary one set by the Society of Automotive Engineers that says odos should be within +/-4%. While the car's affected by the suit fall within that range, Honda recognized that its customers expected their odometers "would be based on zero," and they weren't.

The settlement will lengthen the warranty mileage of affected vehicles by 5% and Honda will pay lease-mileage penalties incurred by owners, which is expected to cost the automaker around $6 million. If you own a 2002 to 2006 Honda or Acura bought between April 12, 2002 and November 7, 2006, then you're eligible for the benefits of the settlement.

The lawsuit also prompted lawyers to test the odometer accuracy of other vehicles. It was found that on average domestic vehicles were nearly perfect in their odo accuracy, while Toyotas actually racked up fewer miles on the clock than they did in reality. Nissans, however, didn't fare as well, and a new class-action suit has been filed on behalf of Altima owners who say their odometers are counting the miles 2.5% to 3% faster than they should.

[Source: USA Today]

Thanks for the tip, John!

Odo Uh-Oh: Honda extending warranties on 6 million cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Loud Land Rovers land company in class-action lawsuit

John Neff — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:28:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Recalls, Land Rover

What's with all these class-action lawsuits lately? Land Rover was just slapped with one thanks to Attorney Mark Anderson in California who filed suit on behalf of all 2004 and 2005 Land Rover LR3 owners in the state. Turns out that the tires on many of these LR3 SUVs are allegedly wearing unevenly, which causes them to make loud noises when the vehicle is moving. The piece we link to from KGO-TV Channel 7 in the Bay Area highlights the trouble of one man, Lew Colon, whose LR3 developed the noise after only 5,000 miles. After some complaining, Colon got Land Rover to give him three new tires, though he had to pay for the fourth. After another 6,000 miles, however, the tires started to wear unevenly again and the noise returned. At 25,000 miles now, Colon's still on that second set.

Land Rover has issues a technical service bulletin about the abnormal wear with instructions for service technicians to use new suspension settings. It would seem that the company at least acknowledges the rapid and uneven tire wear can be traced back to a flaw in the vehicle's suspension design, but so far it has not issued a recall to fix the problem. In the meantime, Colon and the rest of the LR3 owners in California will be filing suit against the automaker to seek a solution.

Thanks for the tip, Oliver!

[Source: KGO-TV Channel 7]

Loud Land Rovers land company in class-action lawsuit originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford cleared in license plate lawsuit

John Neff — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Ford

Ford Motor Co. has been cleared in a class-action lawsuit revolving around the hardware required to attach a license plate to the front of car. Ted Strauss of Texas filed suit against the automaker after he received a $155 fine for not having a front plate on his 2002 Jaguar X-Type. Strauss sued not only Ford but also D & M Leasing, Co. claiming the two had violated Texas state motor vehicle and consumer protection laws, breached implied warranties and were negligent. While Texas is a state that requires motorists to display front license plates, U.S. District Chief Judge A. Joe Fish ruled that Ford and the leasing company had no legal duty to display front license plates, or rear ones for that matter, when a car is sold. We know the frustration Strauss must feel, as many of us live in states that require both front and rear plates. The precedent has been set, though, and by law we're all responsible now for affixing our own plates.

[Source: Automotive News]

Ford cleared in license plate lawsuit originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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