MyFord Touch lawsuit reaches $17M settlement

Some owners will be eligible for up to $400.

Ford is apparently still paying a price for past years of owner frustration caused by the oft-derided MyFord Touch infotainment system.

Law firm Hagans Berman has announced a preliminary approval for a $17 million settlement covering Ford and Lincoln vehicles with model years from 2011 through 2013.

"The lawsuit states that the MyFord Touch infotainment touchscreen system often crashes and freezes while the vehicle is in motion, fails to respond to repeated voice and touch commands, provides inaccurate GPS information and is unable to connect to mobile devices," the law firm says.

The settlement is limited to owners and lessees from California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Washington. The highest payout of $400 will go to those who had the infotainment systems repaired three or more times, while those who never brought it in for service are eligible for just $45.

A previous report alleged that former CEO Mark Fields once returned a vehicle with a broken screen, presumed to have been thrashed in a fit of rage. Other documents indicated engineers had referred to it as a "polished turd."