Class action lawsuit MyFordTouch

[Catmobile]

Apologies if this topic has already been started. I have received notice that there is a class action suit against Ford for issues with MyFordTouch for vehicles bought before August 9, 2013. Has anyone else received this? If so, are you planning on staying in or opting out? MF T is pretty awful, I have never been able to get it to recognize my voice commands, for one thing. I know if we win the case the attorneys are paid out of the settlement or by Ford, but what if it goes Ford's way? For the record I have a 2013 that I love, but this is one thing about it that's been a source of frustration.

[homestead]

Haven't received it as yet.  Voice recognition works on ours about half the time.  Sometimes it is

humorous.  Wonder why cars after Aug 9 2013 are excluded?

[plus 3 golfer]

Here's a link to my post several months ago.

 

"In the documents, Ford engineers fret about the system’s many flaws, calling it “unsaleable.” They describe a later update — cobbled together with the help of Microsoft engineers in the wake of very harsh reviews — as a “polished turd....

 

The 2012 update didn’t win many fans in the engineering department either. In addition to the “turd” comment, another engineer called it “lipstick on a pig.”

 

I haven't got a letter yet but why would you opt out and forgo a possible monetary settlement? IMO a settlement, if any, will be monetary. 

 

What if it goes Ford's way? They've basically stopped supporting Sync 2 now.  Don't expect any additional updates past V 3.10 (about 2 years old).  12M02 is a 5 year extended warranty on MFT Sync which (in my case will expire in 2 days) provides for "free" software installation by dealer of V 3.10.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Plus 3 Golfer

[plus 3 golfer]

Haven't received it as yet.  Voice recognition works on ours about half the time.  Sometimes it is

humorous.  Wonder why cars after Aug 9 2013 are excluded?

It may be because Ford provided updates to MFT which "corrected" plantiffs issues after that build date and there were no other plantiffs with the issues / violations of law that the lawsuit alleges.  I believe CSP 12M02 was Ford's response to try to head off the class action suit. 

 

One can read the case filings here.  The "original complaint filling" is about 45 pages. The last ammended complaint is about 160 pages.  The MFT issues are virtually the same ones we discussed here 4-5 years ago.  

 

[cr08]

Given what most class actions end up coming to on the consumer end (a very modest financial compensation at best) and the fact that MFT has been improved upon substantially in recent updates, I'm definitely not going to bother pursuing it. Maybe if they were able to get Ford to force an official upgrade to Sync 3 (I think I remember even some Ford engineers mentioning that Sync 2 hardware can potentially be updated to Sync 3 software albeit with some reduced functionality), It'd be worth it. But I highly doubt it and beyond that I think it's moot.

 

Yeah, early versions of MFT were shoddy at best but as of 3.6/3.8/3.10 it has been pretty painless and, at least for me, works as intended without issue. The voice recognition I think largely comes down to some people expecting it to better understand you like Siri or Google Assistant which can understand you if the verbiage isn't 100%. It has to be understood that at this stage the underlying voice recognition system in Sync is a good decade old going back to the original Sync 1. It's not going to be as intuitive as modern voice recognition systems. Understanding the proper verbiage which, by default, Sync will display possible commands on screen, will help tremendously. In all honesty I've had zero issues with the voice recognition when using the proper commands.

Edited December 25, 2017 by cr08

[markd]

I just got a sync update this morning.

[raadsel]

I just got a sync update this morning.

 

At the dealer or some other way? And which update?

[markd]

In my garage, I have no idea what update.

[fishead924]

When I received this notification, it was a real vindication that I'm not crazy, or alone, in my experiences with this glitchy POS. I'm one of those victims with a unit that'll stand a pretty good chance of malfunctioning if sitting in the sun when the temps are in the high 90's. No sound, non responsive touch screen, won't power up. Showed the dealer the various Youtube vids of this happening to others, gave them a printout of the thread on here where an owner had Ford engineers come down to his dealer and diagnose a faulty Audio Control Module as the culprit. Their response, "We can't justify spending hundreds of dollars without diagnosing it ourselves."

 

Well, I finally got the opportunity when it happened on a weekday (because invariably, it did this on a Sat when I was hours away) to drive the 25 mi to the dealer and prove it to them. Showed them what was happening, they agreed it was not my imagination, and then informed me that they had 2 other vehicles they were working on with similar entertainment system issues and I would have to leave it with them. I said "thanks, but no thanks. Because here's what's gonna happen. You're going to turn the car on, and it's going to be working fine." And to prove it, I turned the car off, opened and closed the driver's door, turned it back on and it was all back. Then the rep told me to call corporate and see what they could offer me, and their response was the same sing song I got from the dealer, "Oh no, we've never heard of this happening, there's no service bulletin or notification of this being an issue, go get this resolved at the dealer".

 

At that point, I told the young lady on the phone "Thanks for convincing me to never buy one of your vehicles ever again. If you're in charge of customer relations, you've just done a bang up job. Congratulations". Guess I'll just have to live with this occurring sometimes in the heat of the summer. Ha! Was I wrong.

 

New wrinkle, not temp dependent. This new bug has happened on three occasions, so far. Turn the car off, radio stays on, but the sound only comes out of the speaker on top of the unit. Sounds like one of those transistor radios from back in the day. The only fix at that point is to pop the fuse (and thanks, Ford, for not providing the tweezer tool to pluck that tiny little bastard out!) and reinstall. Radio stays off, back to normal. Now I just leave the panel cover off, and have needle nose pliers at the ready for the next incident.

 

For Ford to deny any problems with this system, yet give an extended warranty on it seems to be quite the contradiction. I guess I'll be happy to get whatever crumbs may come my way in the settlement, if there is one, and chalk it up to lesson learned. Too bad, because I really like this car, and would probably upgrade when the time comes, even though the fantastic mileage I get 7 months out of the year becomes a distant memory when the thermometer drops. Other than needing a front brake job long before the 50K mark, the car's never given me the kind of trouble that would make me regret the purchase. Well, other than the subject of this long winded rant.

[joshg678]

I received one of these as well for my 13 escape we had. I’m planning on doing nothing and seeing what happens.

[Istheman]

2013 Ford C Max Sel owner here ... I wish I had never purchased this car... Ford should never have released it.

[Istheman]

2013 Ford C Max Sel owner here ... I wish I had never purchased this car... Ford should never have released it.

[JAZ]

Well, that was certainly chock-full of valuable information.

[plus 3 golfer]

Below is the latest update on the status of the lawsuit.

 

On Feb. 14, 2018, Judge Edward M. Chen overseeing the MyFord Touch case in California federal court issued an opinion that upholds the majority of the claims our firm is bringing on behalf of owners against Ford. We’re pleased with the ruling, as the majority of Ford’s arguments were rejected, and the case remains intact.

 

Because Ford continues to choose to fight claims brought by Ford owners rather than take responsibility, we will take this case to jury trial to bring to light what Ford’s own engineers called ‘lipstick on a pig’ – the dysfunctional and dangerous MyFord Touch system. Ford sold hundreds of thousands of cars over the span of several years with the defective MyFord Touch installed, and it’s time for Ford to be held accountable for this botched infotainment system.

 

Steve W. Berman
Managing partner, Hagens Berman

[raadsel]

2013 Ford C Max Sel owner here ... I wish I had never purchased this car... Ford should never have released it.

 

I'll bite. Why should you have never purchased the car, and why should Ford never have released it. Most of us here are quite happy with our cars, so I'm interested in hearing your experience. I'll also agree that Ford screwed things up with the release of the car -- which is much of the reason for this lawsuit. So, what are the reasons behind your opinion, or are you just attempting to troll?

[cr08]

Below is the latest update on the status of the lawsuit.

 

On Feb. 14, 2018, Judge Edward M. Chen overseeing the MyFord Touch case in California federal court issued an opinion that upholds the majority of the claims our firm is bringing on behalf of owners against Ford. We’re pleased with the ruling, as the majority of Ford’s arguments were rejected, and the case remains intact.

 

Because Ford continues to choose to fight claims brought by Ford owners rather than take responsibility, we will take this case to jury trial to bring to light what Ford’s own engineers called ‘lipstick on a pig’ – the dysfunctional and dangerous MyFord Touch system. Ford sold hundreds of thousands of cars over the span of several years with the defective MyFord Touch installed, and it’s time for Ford to be held accountable for this botched infotainment system.

 

Steve W. Berman

Managing partner, Hagens Berman

I'd love to see them offer fully sanctioned Sync 3 upgrades as compensation. Existing owners across various models have proven this is a relatively painless procedure. If that is not on the table, maintain Sync warranty coverage under the conditions offered by the 12M02 program indefinitely or under the length of an owner's remaining extended warranty coverage.

 

I know lawyers will want their take but financial compensation is practically worthless for owners especially for us C-Max owners where swapping in aftermarket headunits is nigh impossible.

[jestevens]

My salesman gave me a piece of advice - he said whenever you hit the voice button wait a few seconds for it to actually get around to listening.  It's Microsoft software so I would expect nothing less..basically "C" average.  Of course Ford didn't know this and they probably didn't have the expertise to do it in house at the time.

 

My friend with the $60K Mercedes complains all the time that his radio locks up when XM does a channel update, and he raves about the backup camera in the C-MAX, he ordered the backup camera for his car but apparently it's a third party bolt-on add-on, you have to have the radio on to use it because that's the only time the display is on and the sonar only beeps when you are close enough to actually hit something.  He's had it to the Mercedes shop several times and they can't really find anything wrong.

 

The bottom line is that in the generation this car was made vendors still weren't used to building user facing computers in their cars, so it makes sense to me that they would treat the new touch interface as another new MY feature.  At least they were smart enough to separate the "infotainment" computer from the other critical systems in the car.

 

MFT is really annoying because it's slow but I still like it better than the interface systems on many of the competitors' cars, it has a nice interface that is divided up into nice big quadrants that you can tap - the only actual problem is the slowness, they probably should have upgraded the hardware in the embedded PC.

 

The actual hardware failure problem is another issue, which they've hopefully addressed with the customer satisfaction program.

 

Mine locks the screen when I go above 40 MPH .. I'm not sure how it's supposed to be dangerous.  If you can't tell that you are getting distracted when you are using it maybe you should let someone else drive.

 

It would be nice if they'd offer a Sync 3 upgrade, it would go a long way to helping me make up my mind to stick with Ford but I'm not holding my breath because that's not how their sales model works. 

 

If you don't like the car -that- much there are a whole plethora of hybrid and pure electric options out there now.  Buy a Hybrid Sonata or a Prius Sedan instead..

 

Most of the nationally filed "class action settlements" I've seen entitle the plaintiff to receive something like a $5 pre-paid gift certificate toward an oil change or something like that.

Edited February 20, 2018 by jestevens

[joshg678]

When we purchased my wife's 2016 Traverse, the MPG on the window sticker was "incorrect" (24MPG HWY vs supposed 22MPG HWY) and we were offered an extended warranty, or a $1,500 Gift card, we chose the latter and used it all up. Our real world MPG is 22.5MPG going 80+MPH to/from Disney world.  It does get 25MPG @ 65MPH.  Its AWD.

 

As far as what i would expect for the My Touch system, Ford should offer 100% free life time software upgrades for the system (and failed hardware replacements), and require an update to improve performance (Weather hardware or software)  issue recall or Customer Service Campaign to notify owners.

[jestevens]

I remember when Chevy was doing that because at the time I had an HHR .. a few years before they started pulling that crap but I remember driving past the dealership and just shaking my head, it was a blatant lie.  The one VOLT demo car they had was parked around the back of the lot in a very awkward place, and it was stenciled with graphics that no one would ever want to own.  The best I -ever- got on the HHR was 29MPG ..and that was driving on a really flat highway for a really long time at the same speed.  The C-MAX does 40MPG without really even trying.

 

Ford would argue that the lifetime of the MFT software is over, they've moved on to Sync 3.  I see the same thing with a lot of software vendors in the computer world.  Do lifetime updates include revised map cards for those of us with navigation?  I would guess they would again argue no.  An update to improve performance -might- still be possible if they had a contract with Microsoft but that was probably terminated with gusto once they realized the performance they ultimately received.  If the hardware really is that underpowered then the only upgrade that makes sense -is- a Sync 3 upgrade - because it would upgrade the embedded PC, the touch screen AND the software.  I don't think they'll want to do it, they'd rather tell you to buy the 2017/2018 model probably.

Edited February 20, 2018 by jestevens

[jestevens]

I take that back, there was ONE guy I knew who could get around 30MPG out of a Silverado pickup.  He had a lot of friends at GM so he knew exactly what codes to use to order the axles, etc. with the right gear ratios, etc. - and he would hypermile it, going max of 50MPH on the highway.  He said he was flabbergasted because he would leave early, like at 4-5AM so that there would be plenty of room for other cars to pass him but a few of them just kept right behind him, acting like jerks because he was driving so slow even though the passing lane was wide open.

[ptjones]

I take that back, there was ONE guy I knew who could get around 30MPG out of a Silverado pickup.  He had a lot of friends at GM so he knew exactly what codes to use to order the axles, etc. with the right gear ratios, etc. - and he would hypermile it, going max of 50MPH on the highway.  He said he was flabbergasted because he would leave early, like at 4-5AM so that there would be plenty of room for other cars to pass him but a few of them just kept right behind him, acting like jerks because he was driving so slow even though the passing lane was wide open.

They were drafting. LOL   Some people are just followers, I have seen this driving on State Routes with 55 mph speed limits and I would speed up to 50 mph and EV down to 35 mph which you would think would be very irritating yet people would follow you, strange. :headscratch:

 

Paul  

[raucous]

I received a "MyFord Touch Class Action Settlement" notice today. It's for MyFord touch equipped vehicles purchased before August 9, 2013 in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, or Washington. I guess it's this same same action? "The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine." 

 

The notice referred me to:

 

https://www.myfordtouchclassaction.com/

 

for more information and claim forms.

[zalusky]

I got that as well. The file a claim form at the website asks for a claimant ID which I see on the post card but it also asks for a pin which I don’t see.

Anybody know where to find the pin? Is it something like the last part of the vin or something?

[zalusky]

I found the pin in small print somewhere in the paragraph text.

[joshg678]

I received this letter too, probably for my Escape I had.