Ford Fuel Mileage Complaints Mounting

Santa Clara, CAMany drivers of America’s top-selling vehicle, the 2018 or 2019 Ford F-150 pickup, could be spending an extra $2,000 in fuel. Now they are accusing Ford Motor Co. of falsifying fuel-economy tests, and looking at a Ford class action lawsuit for anyone who bought or leased a 2019 Ford Ranger--and likely more models and model-year vehicles affected as testing continues.

“I’ve been complaining my Ford dealer about its false fuel economy claims since the third day of purchase,” says Dave. “I brought my new F150 V6 in more frequently for service and mileage usage kept increasing. Both the dealer and Ford have used every trick in the book to buy time and burn my fire.”

Linda says she purchased her 2016 Ford Edge brand new and was told the mileage would be between 21 and 25 mph. “It never got above 18 even with a tail breeze going downhill. Even driving around town my gas would be between $60 and $100 weekly,” she says. “This vehicle has the worst fuel economy – and I’ve bought plenty of new cars in the 50 years that I’ve been driving. But this is my last Ford. Ever.”

Did Ford Deliberately Deceive Fuel Economy Ratings?

Some transportation experts believe that Ford has deliberately deceived consumers and overstated vehicle miles per gallon because they know how much fuel economy matters to their customers—fuel isn’t cheap. So they advertise the vehicles as “Best in Class” for fuel economy, beat competition, obtain more credits for Ford under environmental regulations, and of course all this attracts more customers.

Ford Fuel Class Action Lawsuit

A U.S. Ford class action lawsuit seeks to recover damages related to fuel economy falsifications of affected Ford F-150 trucks, and it also seeks punitive damages under certain laws for Ford’s alleged knowledge of its misrepresented fuel economy prior to sale of the trucks. The complaint names 65 total accusations against Ford, including:

• fraudulent concealment,
• negligent misrepresentation,
• deceptive trade practices,
• unjust enrichment,
• fraud,
• breach of warranty,
• false advertising
• violation of dozens of state consumer-protection laws.

A proposed class action has also been filed in Toronto against Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited and Ford Motor Company alleging that Ford misrepresented the fuel economy and emissions on certain Ford vehicles. According to the press release, Ford's alleged conduct breached federal and provincial consumer protection legislation and other Canadian laws and regulations.

The complaint’s allegations stem from Ford’s announcement in 2018 that some of the company’s employees were concerned regarding the analytical modeling that is part of Ford's fuel economy and emissions compliance process. Ford reported the issue to US regulatory authorities and a criminal investigation is underway by the US Department of Justice.

The Canadian complaint alleges that Ford misrepresented the fuel economy testing on the Ford F-150 (model years 2018-2019) and the 2019 Ford Ranger, which resulted in these vehicles showing fuel economy and emissions rating superior to those vehicles' actual fuel economy and emissions on the road. Further, the affected vehicles allegedly use about 10-15 percent more fuel than represented by Ford, resulting in more cost to operate over their lifetime and emit more pollutants into the environment.

“In May 2019, I purchased a 2017 Ford Focus solely on the premises that the fuel economy was true,” says Diane. “I now feel as though I was deceived by Ford and CarMax Inc., who should have been aware and truthful on the car’s EPA rating. I got nowhere complaining to Ford, and my Ford dealer just advised me to file a complaint with the Consumer Department. I don’t think this issue is ever going to get resolved so my only recourse is to join a class action fuel economy lawsuit.”