Ford hit with $1.2B lawsuit over misreported mpg ratings
The suit alleges that misrepresented mileage could have cost owners of the new Ford Ranger and the 2018-19 Ford F-150 more than $2,000 a year.
Ford has been slapped with a federal lawsuit over allegations that it misrepresented the fuel economy ratings on its 2018 and 2019 F-150 pickup trucks.
The lawsuit claims that Ford installed a "mileage cheat device" that would display overly optimistic economy figures to owners as they drove, Automotive News reports. It also applies to the recently-returned-to-the-US Ranger.
This particular lawsuit -- filed Monday by the Seattle law firm Hagens Berman -- isn't the first fuel economy-based lawsuit to be leveled at the Blue Oval for the Ranger . Other suits have made similar claims, and the Department of Justice is also investigating if there is a criminal case to be answered.
The new lawsuit is seeking damages in the amount of $1.2 billion, according to the Detroit Free Press, alleging that the misrepresented mileage could have cost owners somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000 per year in additional fuel costs compared to what was advertised.
The misrepresentation likely stems from a 2017 change by the EPA in the way that emissions tests are administered. Specifically, it involves a change in the way that the "road load" was able to be calculated. The road load is a resistance figure used on a dynamometer to simulate the effects of tires' rolling resistance, wind resistance and the loss of energy through a vehicle's drivetrain.
"Ford's lies about the F-150 are masking the truth: consumers are paying far more for these trucks than meets the eye," said Steve Berman, a managing partner at Hagens Berman.
Ford's representatives didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
