Ford pays $19 million to settle claims on fuel economy, payload

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ford Motor Enterprise on Tuesday settled statements by 40 U.S. state lawyers standard that the business built misleading claims about the fuel economic climate and payload ability of some of its automobiles, violating condition shopper safety guidelines.

The corporation agreed to shell out $19.2 million to the states and refrain from making deceptive advertising promises as element of the settlement submitted in San Diego Superior Courtroom in California.

The lawyers general reported Ford misled customers about its 2013-2014 C-Max hybrid vehicles and 2011-2014 Tremendous Responsibility pickup vehicles.

The corporation misrepresented how far the C-Max hybrids could journey on a tank of gas and that the motor vehicles experienced improved authentic-environment fuel economic climate than other hybrids, the attorney generals explained.

They claimed Ford also deliberately left out of its payload calculations for Tremendous Duty pickup vans common items that provided the spare wheel, tire, jack and car radio, so artificially boosting the claimed payload potential.

Ford reported in a assertion that it was happy the investigation was settled with no judicial locating of improper conduct and that the business denied violating any federal or state legal guidelines.

“We labored with the states to solve their considerations and in the process constrained more investigative prices and legal charges for all get-togethers,” the firm reported.

Ford said it voluntarily flagged the incorrect fuel economic system rating for federal regulators, corrected it and reimbursed folks who purchased or leased the cars for the duration of and shortly after the time that the score was incorrectly advertised.

Prospective buyers “should be able to have confidence in that they’re receiving what they paid out for,” California Attorney Common Rob Bonta reported in asserting the settlement.

The $1.2 million for California from the settlement will assist point out and area enforcement of client defense laws.

The settlement contains Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ga, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.