Mercury Sable 2001 Owner's Manual page 221

Customer assistance
In the United States, a warranty dispute must be submitted to the
Dispute Settlement Board before taking action under the Magnuson-Moss
Warranty Act, or to the extent allowed by state law, before pursuing
replacement or repurchase remedies provided by certain state laws. This
dispute handling procedure is not required prior to enforcing state
created rights or other rights which are independent of the Magnuson-
Moss Warranty Act or state replacement or repurchase laws.
THE DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BOARD (U.S. ONLY)
The Dispute Settlement Board is:
• an independent, third-party arbitration program for warranty disputes
• available free to owners and lessees of qualifying Ford Motor Company
vehicles
The Dispute Settlement Board may not be available in all states. Ford
Motor Company reserves the right to change eligibility limitations, modify
procedures and/or to discontinue this service without notice and without
incurring obligations per applicable state law.
What kinds of cases does the Board review?
Unresolved warranty repair concerns or vehicle performance as designed
concerns on Ford and Lincoln Mercury cars and Ford and Lincoln
Mercury light trucks which are within the terms of any applicable written
new vehicle warranty are eligible for review, except those involving:
• a non-Ford product
• a non-Ford dealership
• sales disputes between customer and dealer except those associated
with warranty repairs or concerns with the vehicle's performance as
designed
• a request for reimbursement of consequential expenses unless a
service or product concern is being reviewed
• items not covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty (including
maintenance and wear items)
• alleged personal injury/property damage claims
• cases currently in litigation
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