“Ford believes the settlement is fair and reasonable, and we anticipate it will be approved by the court following the hearing next month,” Ford spokesman T.R. Reid said in a statement.
The Detroit Free Press first reported the revised settlement.
The DPS6 transmission used in the Focus and Fiesta has haunted Ford for years, with customers complaining the gearboxes would shudder, jerk and hesitate. No deaths or injuries have been attributed to the problem, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said it found “no evidence of an unreasonable risk to safety,” after reviewing complaints.
Ford in August extended the warranty on certain 2014-16 model year Focus and Fiesta cars with dual-clutch transmissions by two years and 40,000 miles. The company also said it would offer a software update for customers who continue to have issues with the problematic gearboxes.
In 2012, the Los Angeles-based law firm Capstone Partners APC filed the first of multiple lawsuits on behalf of owners who claimed their vehicles suffered repeated breakdowns.
