Over alleged bad jeep brakes, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of all those who bought or leased Jeep Grand Cherokees from 1999 to 2004 – a total of 1.2 million vehicles.
The case centers on defective front brake discs or rotors and defective brake housings or calipers, resulting in uneven disc thickness that caused pulsation when the brakes were applied and sometimes led to brake failure. In addition, Cherokee maker DaimlerChrysler Corp allegedly stonewalled complaints about the brakes filed during the warranty period.
On January 2, Superior Court Judge Jonathan Harris of New Jersey has approved a $14.5 million settlement in the national class action.
A class action lawsuit was filed by BC and Ontario residents in Canada against the Ford Motor Co. which from 1983 to 1995 produced a dozen different models with defective engine modules. The Thick Film Ignition (TFI) module was mounted on the vehicle's distributor and often failed from overheating, causing the vehicle to stall.
In a report dated October 2, 2006, the BC Supreme Court has approved a $1.5 million class action settlement from Ford Motor for the defective TFI module. To those who replaced the modules or need the part replaced, Ford has agreed to pay up to $325 each.
Actually, it took a while for Canada to follow suit. It can be recalled that on December 9, 2002, after five years of litigation, a settlement was reached in a national class action in Alameda County Superior Court in California -- Howard v. Ford Motor Co. -- that reimbursed owners who complained of same problem.