$400 to some Ford, Lincoln owners

Owners of Ford and Lincoln vehicles – including us – have been complaining about defective MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch multimedia systems for years, and it appears that the squeaky wheels have won.

According to the website Top Class Actions, Ford has set aside $17 million in order to settle the class-action lawsuit.

The money will go to owners of around 360,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles purchased or leased between 2010 and Aug. 9, 2013, that came equipped with a MyFord Touch or MyLincoln Touch multimedia system.

Consumers in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Washington who bought or leased a Ford or Lincoln vehicle equipped with the systems could get up to $400.

At issue is the system’s responsiveness and functionality. Plaintiffs in the suit claim the system will not respond to voice commands, does not connect to the owner’s mobile device, does not provide accurate directions, misreads the location of the vehicle and freezes or crashes.

The best new car deal for August 2019: Here are the nominees

Despite Ford agreeing to the settlement, in a statement, the automaker denied wrongdoing and that there’s anything wrong with the systems. It has issued a software update, however.

“Class members are entitled to a dealer-installed or self-installed software update to the current compatible [MyFord Touch] software version,” Ford states on its website. “To determine if a software update is available for self-installation for your vehicle, click here.”

Claim amounts will vary depending on owners’ experiences with the systems. The settlement stipulates that customers who had their multimedia system repaired once at the dealership can file a claim for $100. For two repair visits, that number jumps to $250, and those who brought their vehicle in for system repairs three or more times can file for $400. Even if you didn’t visit the dealership for a fix, however, affected owners can still file a claim for $45.

Family budgeting: 42% of parents admit they weren’t financially ready to have a child

Current and former owners need to submit a claim online before Sept. 24. Affected owners can go here to submit claims and check for ongoing updates.

It bears noting that, following years of MyFord Touch complaints, the automaker went back to the drawing board and created the Sync 3 system, which debuted on the 2016 Escape and rolled out across the Ford lineup for the 2017 model year. We listed the ways Sync 3 trumps MyFord Touch here.

The article “MyFord Touch users could receive up to a $400 payout after class-action lawsuit” originally appeared on Cars.com.

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.