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Report: Proposed class-action lawsuit targets ‘defective’ MyFord Touch

Filed under: Government/Legal, Technology, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Infotainment

A national law firm, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, has filed a proposed class action lawsuit whose presupposition is that MyFord Touch is defective. Specifically, the complaint states that the system – as well as the MyLincoln Touch and MyMercury Touch clones – often freeze, fail to respond to voice or touch commands and have issues connecting to mobile phones.

According to Hagens Berman managing partner Steve Berman, MyFord Touch is a theoretically “brilliant idea” that falls short in actual execution. Said Berman in a press release, “In reality, the system is fundamentally flawed, failing to reliably provide functionality, amounting to an inconvenience at best, and a serious safety issue at worst.”

Other MFT issues enumerated within the 41-page filing include problems controlling the window defroster, rear-view camera and navigation system. The suit maintains that Ford is aware of the problem but has yet to submit a workable and acceptable solution to MFT customers. Scroll down if you’d like to read the full press release.

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Proposed class-action lawsuit targets ‘defective’ MyFord Touch originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Survey: Consumers find proposed new fuel economy labels confusing

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Electric, Diesel

EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels – Click above for high-res versions

It’s always a tough road to hoe when it comes time to make wholesale changes to something consumers know and are comfortable with – just ask Car and Driver. But, progress is progress, and sometimes a redesign is necessary in order to keep pace with the times.

Such is the case with today’s fuel economy labels. Although we all understand what miles per gallon means (well, mostly…) and what kind of figures we should expect from a given type of vehicle, the future has plenty in store that will drastically change all of that; namely, electric cars and plug-in hybrids. That being the case, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation were charged with designing completely revised fuel economy labels for new vehicles at the dealership.

Judging by the response from our earlier article on the subject, consumers are split on the new stickers’ effectiveness. A new study from Siegel+Gale seems to confirm this suspicion. The full details can be found in the press release after the break and from this PDF, but the gist is as follows:

Two-thirds of respondents preferred the horizontal option over the vertical option (see here), but 38-percent still found something confusing about the winning label. A resounding 86 percent said that miles per gallon was the most important figure, while 68 percent cared most about greenhouse gas emissions.

As for us, we’re thinking that much of the problem lies with the fact that the public at large still doesn’t understand electric vehicles and, more specifically, extended-range electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Many of the features consumers say they could do without were added to the labels in an attempt to give an accurate representation of electric vehicle mileage benefits.

Gallery: EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels

[Source: Siegel+Gale]

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Survey: Consumers find proposed new fuel economy labels confusing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New fuel economy labels proposed by EPA and DOT

Filed under: Government/Legal

EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels – Click above for high-res versions

According to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation are charged with designing new fuel economy labels for vehicle stickers that appear in the window of new vehicles at the dealership. Today the two agencies have put forth a pair of design proposals and are asking the public to comment on which they like better and why.

Both labels have been designed to better incorporate new vehicle types that aren’t represented well by the current labels, including mainly electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In addition to information already provided (fuel economy and estimated annual fuel cost), the new labels would also add such things as indicators for carbon dioxide and other smog-promoting emissions, fuel cost savings compared to an average gasoline-powered vehicle of the same model year and even a QR code that allows smartphones to collect the data.

In order to accommodate the growing crop of EVs and plug-in hybrids, the new proposed labels would also translate the energy usage of such vehicles into a miles per gallon equivalent, or MPGe. In the case of the first label design (the tall, thin one), a letter grade would also be featured prominently that corresponds to a vehicle’s overall environmental performance.

You can check out both designs in the gallery below, or head over to epa.gov/fueleconomy and tell these agencies what you think directly. Either way, a new label’s on its way, so speak now or forever hold your tongue.

Gallery: EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels

[Source: EPA]

New fuel economy labels proposed by EPA and DOT originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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