Ford Motor Co. has paid a former supplier, Mitec, about 10 million euros ($11.8 million) to settle a 13-year dispute over a canceled contract, Germany's Welt am Sonntag reported.
Ford declined to comment on the payment when contacted by Automotive News Europe. The automaker said the terms of the settlement were "confidential."
Mitec supplied Ford with a component for the Mazda6 sedan, which Ford built in the U.S. in a joint venture with the Japanese automaker in Flat Rock, Mich. Mitec sued Ford after the automaker terminated the contract in 2007.
Ford rejected the part because of quality issues but the supplier then discovered the same part being built for Ford by the supplier Linamar in Mexico, Mitec said. The supplier accuses Ford of having passed on technical information with the aim of being able to purchase the parts more cheaply from Mexico.
Mitec's former owner, Michael Militzer, said the settlement was too little and too late.
The l…