Ford Slapped With $1.2B Lawsuit For Allegedly Falsifying F-150 Fuel Economy

One thing that we have firmly come to believe is that automakers are under the impression that numbers sell cars. Whether or not that is actually true, we can’t substantiate with factual information. However, by watching just about any car commercial, numbers are thrown around left and right. In today’s auto market, it seems as if one of the most important numbers to consumers is fuel economy.

According to a lawsuit filed against Ford, that number was so important that they might’ve fudged it just a little bit. If all of this is true, maybe America’s best selling vehicle is able to maintain that rank on the foundation of false information.

Via Hagens Berman, “The lawsuit states that Ford deliberately miscalculated and misrepresented factors used in vehicle certification testing in order to report that its vehicles used less fuel and emitted less pollution than they actually did.”

Long story short, if found guilty, Ford is going to be in some hot water. Currently, the suit only extends to 2018-2019 Ford F-150 and the 2019 Ford Ranger. From what we understand, these are early allegations and the case could expand to other models as well. The lawsuit comes on the tail end of an investigation into Ford’s testing procedures by the Department of Justice.

Hagens Berman continues on that essentially, Ford miscalculated “Road Load.”

For those who aren’t engineers, this essentially means that the company improperly accounted for things like wind resistance and tire friction. These factors may seem minuscule. Over time, though, they could certainly add up to something substantial.

Independent testing done on the models would show a pretty hefty discrepancy. This testing allegedly shows a 15% overstated highway fuel economy and 10% overstated city fuel economy.

The Drive reports that “In total, 65 total counts are named against Ford in the suit, including accusations of fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, deceptive trade practices, unjust enrichment, fraud, breach of warranty, false advertising, and violation of consumer-protection laws.”

Overall, the lawsuit seeks $1.2 billion from Ford.

We have yet to receive any sort of final word on the outcome of the case as it is ongoing. Stay tuned to Speed Society for updates.