Case 3:13-cv-03072-EMC Document 183 Filed 10/13/15 Page 1 of 160 1 STEVE W. BERMAN ADAM J. LEVITT CATHERINE Y.N. GANNON GRANT & EISENHOFER P.A. 2 HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1200 1918 Eighth Avenue, Suite 3300 Chicago, Illinois 60602 3 Seattle, Washington 98101 Telephone: (312) 214-0000 4 Telephone: (206) 623-7292 Facsimile: (312) 214-0001 Facsimile: (206) 623-0594 [email protected] 5 [email protected] [email protected] MATTHEW D. SCHELKOPF 6 JOSEPH G. SAUDER ROLAND TELLIS (186269) CHIMICLES & TIKELLIS LLP 7 MARK PIFKO (228412) One Haverford Centre 8 BARON & BUDD, P.C. 361 West Lancaster Avenue 15910 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1600 Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041 9 Encino, California 91436 Telephone: (610) 642-8500 Telephone: (818) 839-2320 Facsimile: (610) 649-3633 10 Facsimile: (818) 986-9698 [email protected] 11 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 12 Plaintiffs’ Interim Co-Lead Counsel 13 [Additional Counsel listed on 14 Signature Page] 15 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 16 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 17 SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 18 IN RE Case No. 13-cv-3072-EMC 19 MYFORD TOUCH CONSUMER Judge Chen 20 LITIGATION. THIRD AMENDED CLASS ACTION 21 COMPLAINT 22 23 JURY TRIAL DEMANDED 24 25 26 27 28 010388-11 817775 V1 CASE NO. 13-CV-3072-EMC Case 3:13-cv-03072-EMC Document 183 Filed 10/13/15 Page 2 of 160 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 2 I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 3 II. JURISDICTION ........................................................................................................................ 8 4 III. VENUE ...................................................................................................................................... 8 5 IV. PARTIES ................................................................................................................................... 8 6 A. Plaintiffs ........................................................................................................................ 8 7 1. California ........................................................................................................... 8 8 a. Jennifer Whalen ..................................................................................... 8 9 b. The Center for Defensive Driving ....................................................... 11 10 c. Richard Decker Watson ....................................................................... 14 11 d. Darcy Thomas-Maskrey ...................................................................... 16 12 2. Arizona ............................................................................................................ 17 13 a. Joe D’Aguanno .................................................................................... 17 14 3. Colorado .......................................................................................................... 19 15 a. James Laurence Sheerin ...................................................................... 19 16 6. Iowa ................................................................................................................. 20 17 a. Thomas Mitchell .................................................................................. 20 18 7. Massachusetts .................................................................................................. 21 19 a. William Creed ..................................................................................... 21 20 8. New Jersey ....................................................................................................... 25 21 a. Joshua Matlin ....................................................................................... 25 22 b. Russ Rizzo ........................................................................................... 27 23 9. New York ........................................................................................................ 29 24 a. Jeffrey Miller ....................................................................................... 29 25 b. Nuala Purcell ....................................................................................... 30 26 10. North Carolina ................................................................................................. 32 27 a. Daniel Fink .......................................................................................... 32 28 - i - THIRD AMENDED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT 010388-11 817775 V1 CASE NO. 13-CV-3072-EMC Case 3:13-cv-03072-EMC Document 183 Filed 10/13/15 Page 3 of 160 1 11. Ohio ................................................................................................................. 34 2 a. Jerome Miskell .................................................................................... 34 3 12. Texas ................................................................................................................ 36 4 a. Jose Randy Rodriguez ......................................................................... 36 5 b. Michael Ervin ...................................................................................... 38 6 13. Virginia ............................................................................................................ 40 7 a. Jason Connell ....................................................................................... 40 8 b. Henry Miller-Jones .............................................................................. 41 9 14. Washington ...................................................................................................... 43 10 a. Leif Kirchoff ........................................................................................ 43 11 B. Defendant .................................................................................................................... 45 12 V. TOLLING OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ............................................................. 45 13 VI. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS .................................................................................................. 46 14 A. Ford Introduces and Begins Selling MyFord Touch ................................................... 46 15 B. The MyFord Touch System ......................................................................................... 49 16 1. MyFord Touch Hardware. ............................................................................... 49 17 2. The Operating System Utilized by MyFord Touch. ........................................ 51 18 C. Ford Promotes MyFord Touch Safety Features .......................................................... 52 19 D. Ford Promotes MyFord Touch Communications And Entertainment Features ................................................................................................ 55 20 E. Serious Defects Have Plagued MyFord Touch Since Its 21 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 57 22 F. Ford Issues Multiple Secret TSBs, “Updates,” and Warranty Extensions .................................................................................................................... 62 23 G. Consumer Complaints Document MyFord Touch Defects in Class 24 Vehicles ....................................................................................................................... 66 25 1. Consumers Complain On-Line. ....................................................................... 66 26 2. Consumers Complaints to NHTSA are Evidence of a Widespread Problem. ...................................................................................... 67 27 28 - ii - THIRD AMENDED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT 010388-11 817775 V1 CASE NO. 13-CV-3072-EMC Case 3:13-cv-03072-EMC Document 183 Filed 10/13/15 Page 4 of 160 1 H. Ford Technicians Have Chronicled With Precision How The Defects In The Myford Touch Impact The Safety Of Their 2 Customers .................................................................................................................... 76 3 I. Ford Employees, Both Present And Former, Routinely Chastise The Company For The Defects In The MyFord Touch System .................................. 79 4 J. The MyFord Touch Problems Have Diminished the Value of the 5 Class Vehicles ............................................................................................................. 80 6 K. Despite Express Warranties, Ford Has Not Fixed the Problems With MyFord Touch .................................................................................................... 82 7 VII. CLASS ALLEGATIONS ........................................................................................................ 83 8 VIII. VIOLATIONS ALLEGED ..................................................................................................... 87 9 A. Claims Brought on Behalf of the Nationwide Class ................................................... 87 10 COUNT I VIOLATION OF MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY ACT (15 11 U.S.C. §§ 2301, ET SEQ.) ....................................................................................................... 87 12 B. Claims Brought on Behalf of the California Class ...................................................... 89 13 COUNT I VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW (CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §§ 17200, ET SEQ.) ................................................................ 89 14 COUNT II VIOLATION