Court sets Sept 28 for verdict in class-action lawsuit against Ford

By KESINEE TANGKHIEO 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

THE CIVIL Court will deliver its verdict in the class-action lawsuit against Ford Sales and Services (Thailand) Co Ltd on September 28.

 

 As many as 308 Ford car owners have demanded more than Bt24 million in compensation from the firm over DPS6 gearbox problems.

 

“After purchasing a Ford car at Bt700,000, I have experienced chronic gearbox issues. Each time I send my car to a service centre, my car has to be kept there for seven days to one month,” Ekachai Kaewsap, one of the plaintiffs, said about his ordeal yesterday. 

 

He was speaking after the Civil Court of South Bangkok accepted the class-action lawsuit and scheduled not just hearings but also the verdict date in the case. 

 

Plaintiff witnesses have been told to testify in court on August 1. Defence witnesses, meanwhile, will speak in court on August 30 and 31. 

 

The court plans to deliver its verdict at 10am on September 28. 

 

“This is a historic case. It’s a class-action lawsuit that comprises hundreds of victims,” Jinna Yam-uam said, as the head of the plaintiffs’ legal team. “It’s a milestone in Thailand’s consumer-protection efforts.” 

 

According to him, Ford Australia had recently been fined nearly Bt300 million for “unconscionable conduct” for failing to fix dodgy transmissions of 10,500 cars made between 2011 and 2015.

 

Chanita Sukkwan, a plaintiff in Thailand’s class-action lawsuit against Ford, said she hoped the case would set a precedent. 

 

“Consumers should stand up and fight against enterprises that have been taking advantage of them. Do not bow down,” she said. 

She believed the Office of the Consumer Protection Board did not do enough to protect consumers. 

 

“We will rally further to have an independent agency for consumer protection established,” Chanita said. 

 

According to her, several victims of the faulty Ford gearbox withdrew their complaints as they could not bear the adverse impacts during the fight for justice. 

 

“They have to pay for repair charges every now and then. So, some have decided to sell their car instead,” Chanita said. 

 

Last year, 421 Ford-car owners came forward and took their case to the court. However, during the past year more than 100 have withdrawn their complaints. 

 

The withdrawals are also due to negotiations with Ford-related firms. 

 

Through negotiations, the number of defendants in the case has reduced from four to just one.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346041

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-23

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Through negotiations, the number of defendants in the case has reduced from four to just one.

the lawyers credo: find someone to pay

Good  I hope Ford get screwed good and hard like Australia...............but somehow.? I doubt it here.

Um... isn't .... gearbox... supposed to be called a transmission?

If Ford had solved this nicely i would be driving an Everest now instead of a Fortuner. But not a hair on my bald head would consider buying a Ford after this drama.

1 hour ago, seminomadic said:

Um... isn't .... gearbox... supposed to be called a transmission?

You can use either term, but I think gearbox may be proper, as the defect was restricted to the actual gears and clutch and not the drivetrain.  http://www.tgdsa.co.za/transmission-gearbox-variations.html

 

The Ford Fiesta's PowerShift transmission, designed to get the fuel economy and performance of a manual transmission, with the ease of use of an automatic transmission, had multiple defects.  Essentially, it was a double-clutch system controlled by a computer, which had problems with leaks, slipping, sudden acceleration, poor gear meshing and software glitches.  As a result, the car frequently required maintenance and software updating.  The problems are well-documented.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_PowerShift_transmission

I worked on the Thai class action lawsuit in its pre-litigation phase, so am quite familiar with the issues.  Ford will get spanked, but the compensation awarded in Thai courts is always minuscule, which is why there are inadequate safety measures and terrible product manufacturing and design processes in Thailand.  I think what is more interesting is that this is the first class action lawsuit in Thailand to go to trial as the Consumer Protection Act was amended effective December 2016 to allow class action certification of a class of plaintiffs.

Edited May 23, 20188 yr by zaphod reborn

10 hours ago, seminomadic said:

Um... isn't .... gearbox... supposed to be called a transmission?

Only if you are an American and/or an inaccurate pedant.....

17 hours ago, kannot said:

Good  I hope Ford get screwed good and hard like Australia...............but somehow.? I doubt it here.

You are right kannot,Here you can be fined millions for reporting the truth about an individual or a company but in an actual case like poor maintenance or lack of as in the transmission the one suing would be lucky to get 50,000 and the lawyer ends up with most of that 

5 hours ago, wirat69 said:

Only if you are an American and/or an inaccurate pedant.....

same same ( check Websters )