Ford Reaches $19 Million Settlement Over Deceptive Advertising Of Hybrids And Trucks

Harrisburg PA

25 May, 2022

7:18 PM

Description

By NCPA Staff, NorthCentralPA.com May 25, 2022 The Ford Motor Company has agreed to a settlement over claims it misled the public about the fuel economy and payload capacity on some of its vehicles, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. The multistate settlement comes after complaints Ford was falsely advertising the fuel economy of their 2013-2014 C-Max hybrid and the payload capacity of their 2011-2014 Super Duty pickup trucks. The $19.2 million settlement, of which Pennsylvania will receive $484,782.94, is the result of a multistate investigation of Attorneys General into allegations of misleading advertising by Ford. "Families across Pennsylvania are pinching pennies to afford gas right now," Shapiro said. "Some may even be considering purchasing a more fuel efficient car, and when making that purchasing decision, they rely on the information manufacturers give out about fuel economy. Ford can't be permitted to jack up the numbers where they like in order to make their hybrid vehicle look the best. Consumers deserve to have the facts in order to make a fully informed decision." Ford denies it has violated any federal or state laws. The multistate investigation revealed that Ford made several misleading representations about their 2013-2014 C-Max hybrids. Their marketing claimed that driving style wouldn't impact real world fuel economy, claimed superior real world fuel economy compared to other hybrids, and misrepresented the distance consumers could drive on one tank of gas. Ford's advertising campaign, called the "Hybrid Games," depicted the C-Max outperforming a Prius in a series of videos. The C-Max hybrid was promoted as getting 47 mpg in the city and highway, when in reality the car's fuel economy rating was 42 mpg/city, 37 mpg/highway and 40 mpg/city-highway. Ford's "Best-in-Class" payload claims on its 2011-2014 Super Duty pickup trucks were also a subject of the multistate investigation. Ford's methodology to calculate maximum payload capacity was based on a hypothetical truck configuration that omitted standard items such as the spare wheel, tire and jack, center flow console, and radio. Even though that version of their Super Duty pickups was advertised to everyone, in reality only fleet customers could order it. The settlement was negotiated by Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont and Arizona, and joined by Pennsylvania and an additional 34 states and jurisdictions. NorthcentralPa.com provides the region with reliable, relevant, and real-time news, covering weather, community news and events, crime, police activity, local, regional, and national alerts, and PennDOT-reported road construction and conditions. We report on local and regional politics, offer a platform for nonprofits to report their news and events, and share obituaries. Scanner reports let readers know what's happening outside their homes the minute it happens.