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1. What is this lawsuit about? The Class Vehicles were equipped with an engine that contained an air intake manifold made entirely from a nylon-composite material. The plaintiffs in these class action lawsuits allege that the coolant crossover passage of these intake manifolds may crack, resulting in coolant leakage, and that Ford violated state law because it failed to disclose this fact to consumers who bought Class Vehicles. Ford denies these allegations and any wrongdoing. 2. What vehicles are included in this Proposed Class Action Settlement? This Proposed Class Action Settlement involves certain Ford Motor vehicles, specifically those with a 4 point 6 Liter, 2-valve V-8 engine that were originally equipped with an all nylon-composite air intake manifold. These vehicles include: For more information on the List of Class Vehicles, please click here. 3. What are settlement benefits for class members? Ford will provide to Settlement Class Members a retroactive extended vehicle warranty to cover fatigue cracks in the all-composite intake manifold Class Vehicles, resulting in coolant leaks at the crossover coolant passage. The coverage for this extended warranty is for seven years from the start date (which means the initial vehicle sale date) without a mileage limitation. Within the covered period, if Settlement Class Members experience this condition, Ford will pay for a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer to verify the condition and replace, at no cost to the vehicle owner, any such all-composite intake manifold. Ford will also pay for its dealers to reimburse Settlement Class Members for the actual amounts paid by them within seven years of the vehicle's initial sale date and before December 16, 2005 to have the all-composite intake manifold replaced as a result of fatigue cracks leading to coolant leaks at the crossover coolant passage. To be eligible for reimbursement, you must seek reimbursement from a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer within 90 days from December 16, 2005. As provided in Ford's Warranty & Policy Manual, covered costs include the costs to replace the intake manifold, as well as any associated damage to the remainder of the vehicle that was attributable to a failure of the intake manifold and could not have been avoided by reasonable care of the Settlement Class Member. To obtain reimbursement, you must present an original receipt for the repair or a photocopy or duplicate thereof. If you paid to replace your intake manifold, but you do not have your original receipt and your vehicle was sold less than seven years ago, you may take your vehicle to a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer for inspection. You must bring the Notice to the dealer within 90 days from December 16, 2005, signed under the penalty of perjury, stating that you paid to replace an intake manifold that had cracked at the coolant crossover passage, resulting in a coolant leak. The dealer will also inspect your vehicle to confirm that the original manifold was replaced. In that event, you will be entitled to receive reimbursement of a pre-set amount for the estimated costs of replacing your manifold. 4. Do I have to participate in this case or class action – can I exclude myself? Anyone who wished to be excluded from the settlement was given
an opportunity to do so by submitting a written request to the
settlement administrator. The time to submit such a request has
now expired. 5. Can I object to the proposed Settlement Agreement and what is the deadline for objecting to the settlement? Anyone who wished to object to the settlement was given an opportunity to submit a written objection to the trial court. The time to submit such an objection has expired. 6. When will this proposed settlement be considered for approval by the Court? The United States District Court has determined that the Settlement is fair, adequate and reasonable, and entered a final order approving the Settlement. After an appeal period, the Settlement became final on December 16, 2005. 7. What is the deadline for requesting reimbursement? To be eligible for reimbursement for repairs that you paid for
within seven years of the vehicle's initial sale date, you must
seek reimbursement from a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer within
90 days from December 16, 2005. You must bring your receipt to
the dealer no later than March 16, 2006. Requests for reimbursement
submitted after March 16, 2006 will not be accepted. 8. How do I obtain reimbursement? Under the terms of the Settlement, you have 90 days from December 16, 2005 to request reimbursement. If you paid to replace the intake manifold on your Class Vehicle, to obtain reimbursement, you must bring an original receipt for the repair or a photocopy or duplicate thereof to a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer. You must bring your receipt to the dealer no later than March 16, 2006. Requests for reimbursement submitted after March 16, 2006 will not be accepted. If you paid to replace the intake manifold on your Class Vehicle within seven years of the vehicle's initial sale date, to obtain reimbursement, you must bring an original receipt for the repair or a photocopy or duplicate thereof to a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer. You must bring the Notice of Proposed Settlement to the dealer no later than March 16, 2006, signed under the penalty of perjury, stating that you paid to replace an intake manifold that had cracked at the coolant crossover passage, resulting in a coolant leak. The dealer will also inspect your vehicle to confirm that the original manifold was replaced. In that event, you will be entitled to receive reimbursement of a pre-set amount for the estimated costs of replacing your manifold. The dealers have all been informed by Ford about the settlement
and its terms. If for some reason an employee of the dealer appears
unaware of settlement or is uncertain about its terms, you may
suggest that he or she check the Ford-dealer website for information
from Ford regarding the intake manifold settlement. 9. What if the intake manifold on my Class Vehicle has not failed? Ford will provide to Settlement Class Members a retroactive extended vehicle warranty to cover fatigue cracks in the all-composite intake manifold Class Vehicles, resulting in coolant leaks at the crossover coolant passage. The coverage for this extended warranty is for seven years from the start date (which means the initial vehicle sale date) without a mileage limitation. Within the covered period, if Settlement Class Members experience this condition, Ford will pay for a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer to verify the condition and replace, at no cost to the vehicle owner, any such all-composite intake manifold. |
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