Ford Reaches Settlement on Plastic Intakes

December 17th, 2005 by CobraMatt

The Plastic Intake saga is finally over after some haggling on both parts. I have had first hand experience with this as one of my friends owned a 1996 Ford Mustang GT with this infamous plastic intake problem. One day we were driving down the highway and smoke just billowed out from under the hood and he never really figured it out until he got home and noticed his intake was cracked. Needless to say he repaired it himself and Ford reimbursed him for the parts and labor. Read more about the settlement and lawsuit below.

Ford Motor Company has finalized a settlement that requires the company to pay at least $735 to each owner who had to replace an intake manifold, attorneys for the plaintiffs reported on Friday.

Ford is also extending warranty coverage on the plastic part to seven years to cover vehicle owners who haven’t replaced the manifold. The class-action lawsuit covered a total of 1.8 million vehicle owners.

A spokeswoman for the automaker, Kathleen Vokes, said Ford doesn’t know how much the settlement will cost as it is unclear how many people will seek reimbursement.

Affected cars include the 1997 Ford Mustang and some Mustangs from the 1998-2001 model years. Other affected vehicles included in the settlement are the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car from the 1996-2001 model years; the Mercury Cougar, Ford Thunderbird and some Ford Explorers from the 2002 model year.

Plaintiffs claimed the intake manifolds are prone to premature cracking, which could lead to coolant leakage and expensive damage to the engine. “Until this settlement, those who owned or leased these cars had to bear the brunt of the manufacturer’s mistake,” Mike Ram, one of the plaintiffs attorneys, said in a statement.

“Although we believe the class action was without merit, we are pleased that we were able to negotiate a settlement that will provide additional value to our customers,” Ford’s Vokes said.

Owners who replaced their intake manifolds within the first seven years of ownership can take the vehicles to a dealer and obtain reimbursement whether or not they have a receipt.

The vehicle must be brought to a dealer by March 16, 2006.

To read more about this lawsuit and the settlement click here.