The 658,000 people who own Ford Bronco IIs will get free inspections and up to $200 for parts and repairs if a judge here approves a proposed settlement, Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday.
However, Ford would not pay the whole cost - and the money it did pay would all come back to the company and its dealers.Lawyers for Ford and the owners submitted the proposal Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Morey Sear, Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Flake said.
Sear rejected the last proposed settlement in 1995, saying owners would get next to nothing while lawyers would garner exorbitant fees. Owners would have received a safety kit, flashlight and cellular telephone, and their lawyers would have split $4 million.
The lawsuit contends that the Bronco II - a model that was made from 1983-90 and is smaller, lighter and narrower than the Ford Bronco - is prone to rolling over. It asked the court to make Ford repay the purchase price, pay for lost value and recall or retrofit all Bronco IIs.
Neither plaintiffs' attorneys nor Public Citizen, the Ralph Nader group that filed objections to both the settlement and the fee request in 1995, returned calls for comment on the new proposal.
While not acknowledging any fault, Ford is now offering to pay up to $200 on parts and labor to repair Bronco IIs with modifications, or up to $100 on parts for unmodified vehicles with worn suspensions.
Owners would pay half the cost for bills of up to $200 on unmodified Bronco IIs or of bills up to $400 on modified vehicles. They also would pay any costs over those amounts.
The smaller sum would go toward "the owner's choice of any of four discount packages of common suspension refurbishment parts," Flake said. The owner would pay for installation.
When asked, she said the packages cost about $75 to $200 after discounts, and all are from Ford. The prices offered by Ford are just over half the suggested retail prices, court papers showed.