Car owners suing Ford for its MyFord Touch Infotainment System

Yeah, it is a Microsoft UX thing, but it could be cool, but it has some issues. Surely we all have a bone to pick when it comes to our cars’ new fangled interfaces and usability. Some day we will all sue our cars. Hooray for lawyers.

 

This is a nice read from Richard Read over at The Car Connection:

The MyFord Touch infotainment system has been a mixed blessing for Ford. 

On the one hand, it’s become hugely popular with consumers. In fact, roughly 80 percent of new-car shoppers shell out for it. That’s meant huge profits for America’s best-loved company. 

On the other hand, not everyone’s a fan of the technology. After MyFord Touch debuted in 2010, customers complained about how difficult and confusing it was to use. As a result, Ford tumbled from #8 to #17 in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality rankings. Since then, the company’s scores have fallen further: this year, Ford clocked in a depressing 27th. 

Now, California’s Center for Defensive Driving has filed a lawsuit against the automaker, alleging that the MyFord Touch system in its 2013 Ford F-150 experienced a host of problems, including “System lockup and total system failure; periodic non-responsiveness to peripheral devices (such as MP3 players and smartphones); and periodic non-responsiveness to voice commands”. In total, the plaintiff claims that MyFord Touch froze or failed at least 27 times.

The plaintiff and its lawyers at Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. are seeking class-action status. Ultimately, they’re suing Ford for “compensatory damages” and hope to force the automaker to institute a recall to repair or replace existing MyFord Touch systems.

While there is no certainty that this lawsuit will lead to anything. It seems as if there is some merit to feeling aggrieved about the system.