A class action against Ford over its faulty Powershift dual-clutch automatic transmission has reached the High Court of Australia, with car owners demanding more compensation.
In Australia, there are more than 70,000 Ford vehicles nationwide Concentrate, festivalAnd sports ecology models equipped with the Powershift six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission from January 2011 to November 2018.
Immediately after the car went into production, it was discovered that the input shaft seal, clutch lining and control module of the transmission were easily damaged, leading to jerking when shifting gears, sudden deceleration and Sometimes I lose control completely.
Although Ford Australia extended warranties for about 47,000 affected vehicles in 2014, the automaker soon faced criticism from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
In 2016, the consumer watchdog and Ford reached a settlement that resulted in the automaker paying a $10 million fine for failing to properly resolve Powershift-related complaints within the time period. from May 2015 to February 2016.
A class action lawsuit was then filed by Biljana Capic – owner of a 2012 Ford Focus – against the automaker in Australia in 2016.
The lawsuit alleges the carmaker failed to “comply with the statutory guarantees established by the Australian Consumer Law” by supplying a vehicle with component and design defects.
The Federal Court agreed with this assessment in June 2021, ordering Ford to pay Ms. Capic total damages of $17,248.19.
In 2022, Ford appealed the verdicts to get Ms. Capic and other class action group members damages. The ruling was later upheld in November 2023 when the Full Court (a panel of three or more Federal Court judges) found the affected vehicles were not of acceptable quality.
Although the Full Court said the affected vehicles had an “increased tendency to troublesome vehicle behavior,” it also found certain factors were not considered when determining damages. damages that Ford will have to pay to Ms. Capic.
The final figure for the damages suffered by both Ms. Capic and the class action group members is yet to be determined.
A Ford Australia spokesperson said: “Ford is the defendant in the appeal to the Supreme Court. Car expert.
“In the appeal, the High Court was asked to consider the correct interpretation of a section of Australian consumer law relating to damages payable in the event of a breach of acceptable quality .”
The Supreme Court hearing for Ford and those involved in the class action will take place tomorrow (April 11) following today’s hearing in the case against Toyota Australia.
The Toyota class action lawsuit involved approximately 260,000 HiLux, PradoAnd Fortuner the cars were equipped with defective diesel particulate filters, with the auto giant trying to have the lawsuit dismissed while owners of the affected cars want more compensation.
THAN: Everything Ford
