Jury Finds 2011 Ford F-150 to Be a “Lemon” and Orders Refund to Vehicle’s Owners

On January 16, 2015 after a 3 day jury trial, a verdict was delivered in favor of Eckerty, Indiana residents, David and Linda Ingle, against Ford Motor Company in a federal and state “lemon law” action brought in the Circuit Court of Harrison County, Indiana. The case involved a brand-new 2011 Ford F-150 that recent retiree, David Ingle, purchased with the intent of it being the last vehicle he ever would buy. However, shortly after his purchase, the $45,000 vehicle began to jerk, shudder, shift rough, and misfire. Also, the power locks and compass did not work properly and the steering wheel did not return correctly to center. In May of 2012 and after 9 total repair visits to Ford’s dealers, the Ingles stopped driving the vehicle and retained Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center®, a consumer protection firm that has handled over 45,000 “lemon law” actions nationwide, including over 2,000 in Indiana alone. Yet, instead of immediately settling the Ingles well-founded claims, Ford fought the case for over 2.5 years until ultimately, a Harrison County jury declared the vehicle to be a “lemon” and ordered that Ford refund the Ingles their money under the law. Additionally, both federal and state law will now allow the Ingles to seek payment for the attorneys’ fees and costs their lawyers incurred litigating this case. John Barker, the Ingles’ trial counsel, reflected on the jury’s verdict, “I’ve tried over 30 lemon law cases in my career and this was one of the most egregious examples of customer neglect I’ve ever seen. These nice people parked their car for 2.5 years while Ford tried to wear them down. This verdict tells everyone that the little guy has a voice and the jury heard it loud and clear.”