Ford Settles Manifold Lawsuit

If you own a 1996-2001 Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicle, equipped with a 4.6L 2V engine, you may have received a letter last year from a law firm notifying you of a class action law suit. The suit was brought on by individuals who claimed their intake manifold failed, leaving them stuck with the expense of having to replace the faulty piece. In some cases the resulting coolant leakage into the engine caused major engine damage. The lawsuit claimed that Ford was aware the manifolds were prone to cracking and premature failure. We’re not sure why Ford decided to fight the suit, rather than settle out of court or better, simply offer up good customer service and recall or replace the defective manifolds. As was revealed in the court case, Ford certainly knew of the problem…
In 1999, Ford issued three ]Technical Service Bulletins( TSB’s 97M91, 99M01, 01M02) for the cracking problem.
In March 1999 A.R.O’Neill, Director of Vehicle Service and Programs, Ford Customer Service Division, issued an “Owner Notification Program” numbered as 97M91 (1 2) to “All Ford and Lincoln-Mercury Dealers”. This correspondence stated, in relevant part, the following:

While Ford has offered to replace these defective intake manifolds free of charge for cars purchased by police forces and taxi cab companies, they have yet to offer such a “recall” to individual consumers who purchased the same cars. Consequently, consumers must pay for their own repairs if the defective manifolds fail.

Even more discouraging was the discovery that Ford replaced, at no cost, the manifolds on taxi’s and police cars, presumably to remain in good standing with fleet purchases of those vehicles. Consumers however were not extended such warranty.

According to the Associate Press, Ford Motor Co. has finalized a settlement that requires the automaker to pay at least $735 US each to owner of a qualified make and model who had to replace an intake manifold. Ford also is extending warranty coverage on the plastic part to seven years to cover vehicle owners who haven’t replaced the manifold. The class-action lawsuit covered a total of 1.8 million vehicle owners, according to Morrow Cater, a spokeswoman for the plaintiffs.

“Until this settlement, those who owned or leased these cars had to bear the brunt of the manufacturer’s mistake,” Mike Ram, one of the plaintiffs lawyers, said in a statement.

“Although we believe the class action was without merit, we are pleased that we were able to negotiate a settlement that will provide additional value to our customers,” Vokes said.

Owners who replaced their intake manifolds within the first seven years of ownership can take the vehicles to a dealer and obtain reimbursement whether or not they have a receipt. The vehicle must be brought to a dealer by March 16.

You can learn more about the settlement at https://www.fordmanifoldsettlement.com