May 24, 2022
Carson
City, NV – Today, Attorney
General Aaron D. Ford announced a $19.2 million multistate settlement with Ford
Motor Company regarding claims that the car company falsely advertised the
real-world fuel economy of model year 2013–2014 C-Max hybrids and the payload
capacity of model year 2011–2014 Super Duty pickup trucks. Nevada will receive
$236,053.85 from the settlement.
“Nevadans are
looking to save at the pump and be environmentally conscious by purchasing more
fuel-efficient cars,” saidAG Ford. “Companies should be held
accountable for making claims about fuel economy and payload capacity when
marketing these vehicles to consumers.”
2013–2014
C-Max Hybrids
The
investigation by the Attorneys General revealed that the Ford Motor Company
made several misleading representations about 2013–2014 C-Max hybrids
including:
- Misrepresenting the distance consumers could drive on
one tank of gas;
- Marketing that driving style would not impact real
world fuel economy; and
- Claiming superior real world fuel economy compared to
other hybrids.
At one point,
Ford Motor Company ran a series of advertisements called the “Hybrid Games,”
which were narrated like an Olympic sporting event and depicted the C-Max
outperforming the Prius in a series of videos. The attorneys general involved
in the settlement allege that the videos deceptively reflected that C-Max
vehicles offered superior real-world fuel economy and driving performance. The
C-Max hybrid was initially promoted as 47 mpg in the city and highway. Ford
Motor Company had to lower the vehicle’s fuel economy rating once in 2013 and
again in 2014, to eventually 42 mpg/city, 37 mpg/highway and 40
mpg/city-highway mixed; impacting the model years 2013 and 2014 C-Max hybrid.
This settlement corrects Ford Motor Company’s deceptive advertising practices
and helps ensure that the company will not make false or misleading advertising
claims about the fuel economy of its vehicles.
2011–2014
Super Duty Pick-up Trucks
The attorneys general
also investigated Ford Motor Company’s deceptive and misleading “Best-in-Class”
payload claims on its 2011–2014 Super Duty pick-up trucks, which includes the
F-250, F-350 and F-450 models, a line that caters to consumers hauling and
towing heavy loads.
The attorneys general
allege that Ford Motor Company’s methodology to calculate maximum payload
capacity for advertising purposes was based on a hypothetical truck configuration
that omitted standard items such as the spare wheel; tire and jack; center flow
console (replacing it with a mini console); and radio. Although the company
advertised the Best-in-Class payload as available to all consumers, only fleet
purchasers (a limited category of businesses that purchase multiple new
vehicles each year for commercial purposes) could order the special
configuration of trucks.
The settlement
was led by the attorneys general of Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont
and Arizona, and joined by the attorneys general of 35 additional states and
jurisdictions.
###