Automotive Archive

Are You Part of Ford Spark Plug Class Action? Read on…

September 16th, 2011. By AbiK

The video above, which shows some broken Ford spark plugs–or more specifically, broken spark plugs from a 2004 Ford F150 Triton 5.4L V8–also shows what the recent Ford spark plug class action lawsuit is all about. A quick surf around the internet found that Ford owners who’ve had this problem have paid bills of a few hundred dollars to $750 to $4,500 and who knows how much more to get the spark plug problem fixed.

So what’s the deal with the Ford spark plug class action lawsuit? Here’s the lowdown…

Reason for Ford Spark Plug Class Action Lawsuit

The Ford spark plug lawsuit claims that spark plugs in certain Ford models break during replacement. As a result, broken pieces or fragments of the defective spark plugs get stuck in the cylinder head, which has led to expensive repair shop bills in order to remove the broken spark plug pieces and/or repair damage to engines. The Ford spark plug class action lawsuit is a defective product lawsuit.

Ford did issue a Technical Service Bulletin (08-7-6) in 2008 which provided instruction (11 pages!) on how to properly remove the spark plugs.

Ford Models included in the Ford Spark Plug Class Action Lawsuit

The “class” for this lawsuit would include owners of the following Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models:

Ford

2005-2008 Mustang
2004-2008 F-150
2005-2008 Expedition, F-Super Duty
2006-2008 Explorer
F-53 Motorhome Chassis
2007-2008 Explorer Sport Trac

Lincoln

2005-2008 Navigator
2006-2008 Mark LT

Mercury

2006-2008 Mountaineer

To File a Ford Spark Plug Class Action Complaint

Fill out and submit your complaint form.

Tags: Broken Spark Plug, Defective Spark Plugs, Ford Class Action, Ford Expedition, Ford Explorer, Ford F-150, Ford Motorhome, Ford Mustang, Ford Spark Plugs, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln Navigator, Mercury Mountaineer, Spark Plug Lawsuit
Posted in Automotive, Class Action, Defective Products | 8731No Comments »2011-09-16+15%3A51%3A08AbiK

Distracted Driver Alert: Keep your Hands off My Ford Touch

June 13th, 2011. By Hunter West

The distracted driver is becoming just as serious a problem as drunk driving used to be before society woke up, looked in the rear view mirror and saw themselves as the pariahs they had become. People still drive drunk—or tired, which is almost as bad—but the penalties for a DUI have increased and there is no longer any tolerance for it.

Distracted driving is the new battleground. The other day near where I live an 18-year-old plowed head-on into a transport truck with his small car. He didn’t stand a chance; the tragedy is that he had been texting while driving. His phone records indicate he had sent a text to a friend just seconds before his promising life came to a tragic end, in an instant.

So why, are manufacturers putting more distracting technology in their vehicles? Because the other guy is, and they want to out-tech to compete? Are drivers asking for this stuff?

Has everybody gone nuts?

Consumer Reports magazine is a bastion of common sense. No ties to lobbyists or manufacturers, funded privately through subscriptions with no bias, with independent testing facilities and protocols second to none. When Consumer Reports likes, or dislikes something, there is significant weight to that recommendation or rejection.

So it is telling that Consumer Reports no longer recommends the Ford Edge Sport.

Why? Because the 2011 model has too much damned technology on board, available to the driver in the cockpit. Specifically, the issue is the MyFord Touch system.

Witness a recent summation of the system by a reviewer in The New York Times:

“Ford has added an 8-inch LCD touch screen in the center of the dash that now coordinates not only entertainment functions, like the radio, satellite radio and MP3 playback, but also phone calls, the navigation system and the climate control, as well as settings for, among many others, the traction and cruise controls.”

In other words, way too much stuff to fiddle with. Consumer Reports has come down hard on it, and cited the system as one of the reasons why the vehicle had low test scores.

There is no question that the technology is amazing. It’s just out of place. And the addition of a touch screen to the dashboard of the 2011 Ford Edge had engineers at Ford balking, arguing that it could be considered a source of driver distraction.

But Ford went ahead with it anyway, assuming presumably that such technology would make boffo TV ads. And it does. The system sounds mighty impressive.

But it’s misplaced in a car, accessible to the driver.

Here’s reviewer John R. Quain again, writing May 27^th in The New York Times:

“While [the screen] has some benefits, like a crystal-clear view from the rear-facing camera, it lacks tactile feedback. So when you reach down to tap on a music selection you must take your eyes off the road or you’ll touch the incorrect tiny button…”

He also noted that the screen is about four or five inches too low, forcing the driver to look down and to the right when accessing the screen.

Which means, the driver is taking his eyes off the road—just for an instant.

That’s how long the 18 year-old took his eyes off the road to hit ‘send’ on his smartphone, a microsecond before his car slammed head-on into the transport truck.

Ford may have a techno-marvel on its hands. However, I have to disagree that the cockpit is the proper place for it. And if a family member of mine were ever to be hurt or maimed by a distracted 2011 Ford Edge driver due to the complexity and availability of the MyFord Touch system, I would make damn sure that the manufacturer that built the silly system into the car in the first place, was one of the primary defendants of my car accident lawsuit.

Tags: Car Technology, Dashboard Computer, Distracted Driver, LED Dashboard, My Ford Touch, MyFord Touch
Posted in Accidents, Automotive | 8000No Comments »2011-06-13+14%3A38%3A55Hunter+West

Dear Chevy, Check out my HHR Key Stuck in Ignition Video!

May 6th, 2011. By LucyC

Dear Chevy,

Here’s an HHR Chevy Key Stuck in Ignition video from one of our readers, Melvin. Check it out—you can even see his fingers going white in areas from the amount of pressure he’s applying to try to get the blessed key out of the ignition. What gives?

Thanks for sharing this Melvin!

ps—if you find yourself stuck in your Chevy HHR with a problem, just grab your phone, videotape it and send it to us at Editorial@lawyersandsettlements.com …we’ll be sure to post it!

Tags: Chevy HHR, chevy-hhr-ignition-problems-2009-steering-2, GM, HHR Ignition, HHR Key Stuck, HHR Problems, HHR Video, HHR Won't Shut Off
Posted in Automotive, Complaints/Comments, Emerging Issues | 77563 Comments »2011-05-06+21%3A35%3A20LucyC

Chevy HHR Key Stuck in Ignition Fix – Is this a Joke?

March 17th, 2011. By AbiK

I’ve heard one too many complaints now about the Chevy HHR ignition problem—the one where you can’t get the key out of the ignition, and in some instances the key won’t come out and the HHR is still running! In these parts, we’d call that a design defect. But seems like GM doesn’t quite feel the same way.

So while I had done some checking into this a while back when I had first posted about the Chevy HHR problem (and while we’re at it, let’s throw in the Chevy Cobalt problem, too) I had focused on official complaints being filed over at the NHTSA—not so much the solution because, heck, shouldn’t GM or Chevy be taking care of this gratis for folks who’ve been stuck in an HHR that won’t shut off? Is it just me? Or, shouldn’t there be some sort of Chevy HHR recall or at least a “come in and get your part replaced” notice?

Well, there’s been none that I’ve seen, and apparently none of you HHR owners out there have seen one either.

So I came across this guy’s video on how to fix the HHR problem. Kudos to him for taking the time to film 10 minutes of repair work, explaining everything step by step. But is this a joke?!? Don’t get me wrong—the video is great—but like I’m going to dislodge my car’s gear shift and put everything back together again. Right. And I love his comment at about minute 6:15: “pretty maddening to put in” followed by minute 6:36: “it sounds easier than it is” —I’ll bet! Bottom line, there’s a car mechanic somewhere (or HHR dealer) who’ll be making a few quid off HHR owners from this problem.

Is this how GM Customer Service works?

C’mon Chevy, step up to the plate.

Tags: Chevy Cobalt, Chevy HHR, chevy-hhr-ignition-problems-2009-steering-2, Gear Shift, GM, Ignition Problem, Key Stuck
Posted in Automotive, Defective Products, Emerging Issues | 723554 Comments »2011-03-17+13%3A56%3A29AbiK

Reader Takes Chrysler Town & Country to Task on Video

January 13th, 2011. By AbiK

This just in from a reader re: Chrysler Town and Country:

Please help me….I’ve hit a brick wall with all my inquiries and this is a HUGE issue.
Please go to youtube and type in silverlake003 and the video list will show up.
It’s about the third one down with the back bumper of a Chrysler Town and Country, sort of a wine color.
This quick video will explain it.
We were rear-ended just before Christmas.
The seatbelts did not lock and my daughter who was in a booster was flipped outside down and pinned between her seat and the passenger seat.
The seatbelts lock if you slam on the breaks but not if you are sitting still.
I filed a report with the NHTSA but was simply sent an email that said CASE CLOSED.
Please help me ensure that no other child has this happen to them.

Now, I don’t know what year model she’s referring to, but her video and comment is of interest as we all expect a seatbelt to work when we slam on the brakes. But what happens upon rear impact?

I know from personal experience—will never forget it as it was the night that news about Sam Kinison’s death was all over the radio—when a car rear-ended me at a red light. I began to jerk forward for sure—but my seatbelt restrained me from having my steering wheel imprint a nice doughnut “O” on my chest. It was a hit and run, so the idiot who did it was never caught, or apprehended.

Be that as it may, I expected my seatbelt to work. And it did.

Chrysler did have a Town and Country recall a number of years ago—in 2005—NHTSA Campaign ID#04V047000—for defective seatbelts. The issue at the time was “After performing the NCAP test, it was discovered that on certain minivans equipped without the available “Stow N Go” seating option, the right front seat belt retractor assembly may have been improperly assembled….As a result the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant during certain crash conditions, which can increase the risk of injury.”

But no seatbelt recalls since. And a quick check on Town and Country models from the years 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 results in only a few reported seat belt complaints with the NHTSA.

Still, a picture (or video) can be worth a thousand words. No, a layperson’s video is not the same as some closed circuit test drive over at Consumer Reports—but by the same token, it does raise an eyebrow.

Thanks, Sarah, for sharing your story.

Tags: Chrysler, defective auto, Defective Seatbelts, NHTSA, Town & Country, Town and Country
Posted in Automotive, Defective Products | 6431No Comments »2011-01-13+15%3A29%3A41AbiK