Ford Motor Co.’s MyFord Touch and SYNC infotainment system, which was designed to do things like help navigate, connect a phone and play music, really sucked when it was first launched in 2010, a lawsuit claims.
How bad was it?
So bad that when it was first introduced it it left Executive Chairman Bill Ford stuck by the side of the road in an unfamiliar area and appears to have caused current CEO Mark Fields to break his touchscreen in frustration, Michael Martinez of the Detroit News writes.
The News reports:
Court documents from a 2013 class-action lawsuit filed in California show Ford engineers were worried about the “unsaleable” system from the outset of its 2010 launch, and described a subsequently flawed upgrade as a “polished turd.” A U.S. District Court judge last week certified classes of consumers from nine states in the lawsuit filed against the Dearborn automaker; a trial is expected in April 2017.
Ford’s current Sync 3 system is well-received, but Ford’s first attempt at an infotainment system was riddled with flaws. Consumer Reports blasted the technology for years, issuing scathing reports like “Why the MyFord Touch control system stinks,” and third-party agencies such as J.D. Power gave the Blue Oval pathetically low quality scores. The court documents, first reported by Forbes, detail some internal company strife during those early years.
