Judge Awards Couple $23,000 Due To Faulty Transmission Of Their Ford Focus

A judge has ordered Ford to pay a couple $23,000 due to the problematic transmission of their 2014 Ford Focus, The Detroit News reports.

Speaking to a federal court of the Central District of California, plaintiffs Salvador and Yvonne Quintero claimed that they felt “unsafe” because of problems related to the car’s dual-clutch PowerShift transmission.

Ford’s DPS6 dual-clutch transmission has been the subject of renewed scrutiny in recent months after it was revealed that the car manufacturer knew the transmission was faulty before launching the 2011 Fiesta and 2012 Focus. Thousands of complaints have been made about the gearbox with many owners claiming that it can unexpectedly slip into neutral, and there is currently a class-action lawsuit against the automaker from disgruntled owners.

Also Read: Ford Employees Claim They Knew About The Defective PowerShift Transmission

According to Ford spokesman Said Deep, the Quinteros’ award of $23,000 is less than what Ford had previously offered the couple two years ago as a settlement.

“The case appears to have been motivated by attorneys seeking large fees,” Deep said. “Attorney-driven litigation abuse needs closer attention. Vehicles with DPS6 transmission built since the second half of 2015 – and earlier ones with important updates – perform well and have competitive levels of customer satisfaction.”

Roger Kirnos, a partner at Knight Law Group who represented the couple, hit back at Deep’s assertion: “We’ve not been paid a dollar while I cannot even fathom what their attorneys have amassed. It is not motivated by attorney fees.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn’t found evidence that the transmission is faulty and has not issued a recall. Nonetheless, Ford has been trying to appease owners and recently announced it would extend the clutch warranty to seven years or 100,000 miles on certain models.