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23 Million Consumers Plagued by Concealed Ford Ignition Defects

17 October 2000

23 Million Consumers Plagued by Concealed Ford Ignition Defects - Class Action Filed Today, Oct. 16 in St. Louis Circuit Court, Reports Mantese Miller and Shea, PLLC

    ST. LOUIS, Oct. 16 The following was released by Mantese
Miller and Shea, PLLC:

    A class action was filed today in St. Louis Circuit Court, against Ford
Motor Company, accusing the company of installing defective ignition modules
on 29 popular models of cars, including the Taurus, Mustang, Escort and
Bronco.  The suit alleges that the defective ignition modules -- installed in
vehicles in the 1980s and '90s -- are a safety defect because they cause the
vehicles to stall.  A state judge in California, in recently ordering the
recall of 1.7 million vehicles in California, recently ruled that, "Ford has
been aware since at least 1982, that installing its ignition modules on the
distributors ... made them inordinately prone to failure due to exposure to
excessive heat and thermal stress."
    The suit was filed on behalf of Thunderbird owner Michael Memos, who was
advised by his Ford dealership that there are so many complaints against Ford
that the needed replacement part is back ordered for over 3,000 vehicles and
will not be available until January 2001.
    "This is a pervasive defect that Ford has not dealt with in a responsible
way.  Ford needs to acknowledge that this is a defect and to recall and
repair the millions of affected vehicles.  It cannot continue to deny the
problem and hope that it goes away," emphasized Gerard Mantese, an attorney
for Mr. Memos.
    Attorneys for Mr. Memos will also be filing a motion with the court,
asking the court to forthwith approve the filing as a class action.  "We
intend to file a motion for class action tomorrow because we believe that this
is a critical defect that should be dealt with immediately," explained Mr.
Robert Radice, another attorney for Mr. Memos.