Virginia will receive $384,736.40 as its share of a multi-state $19.2 million settlement with Ford over false advertising of fuel economy of 2013–2014 C-Max hybrid cars and the capacity of 2011–2014 Super Duty pickup trucks.
“Virginians should be able to trust car manufacturers’ information as advertised about their vehicles,” Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a Tuesday press release. “Ford exaggerated the C-Max hybrids’ fuel efficiency and Super Duty trucks’ payload capacity, misleading Virginia consumers. A key component of my office is protecting Virginia consumers, and I’m pleased we were able to reach a fair agreement with Ford.”
Attorneys general from Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont, and Arizona led 35 other states in the lawsuit.
“The investigation revealed that Ford 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,” Miyares’ release states.
A press release from New Jersey Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin describes a series of advertisements showing the C-Max getting better fuel economy than a Toyota Prius.
“Ford: Devised a deceptive calculation for payload capacity that omitted standard items (such as the spare wheel, tire and jack, center flow console, and radio); Advertised its Super Duty pick-up trucks as having “Best-in-Class” payload (of 194 pounds) based on that deceptive calculation; and Sold Super Duty pick-up trucks to individual consumers that could not meet the “Best-in-Class payload claim,” Miyares’ release adds.
According to the settlement agreement, Ford denied violating any laws or admitting wrongdoing, but agreed to not make false or misleading claims about fuel economy or capacity of a new vehicle.
The settlement money will be paid to the various offices of the attorneys general.
“It’s really simple: Ford — tell the truth about your products,” Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ford Motor Company” by Dave Parker. CC BY 3.0.
