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Trial Over Ford’s Hybrid Fuel Economy Claims to Proceed
A federal district court has refused Ford Motor Co.’s petition to dismiss a lawsuit over the company’s advertising claims in 2012 about the government fuel economy ratings for its Fusion and C-Max hybrids.
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A federal district court has refused Ford Motor Co.’s petition to dismiss a lawsuit over the company’s advertising claims in 2012 about the government fuel economy ratings for its Fusion and C-Max hybrids.
Both models were granted city/highway ratings of 47 mpg by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But owners complained their actual mileage was significantly lower, and Consumer Reports said it was unable to achieve the advertised fuel economy in its own tests.
EPA and outside experts agreed the agency’s certification process is especially sensitive to how hybrids are driven and how much time they spend in electric-only mode during the test cycle. Ford said at the time it would work with the agency to make the test process more accurate.
The lawsuit on behalf of hybrid owners claims Ford defrauded them. In agreeing to allow the case to proceed, Judge Kenneth Kara ruled the plaintiff's case is properly stated and offers a plausible motive: selling more cars. He added that Ford “implicitly recognized that its advertising campaign was misleading.”
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