Ford is being sued for $1.2 billion for allegedly falsifying fuel economy tests in the F-150 and Ranger pickups.
But it could be for far more vehicles than that.
The news comes from the Detroit Free Press, where Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman filed suit in US District Court of Eastern Michigan on Monday. At issue is the alleged falsification of fuel economy tests by Ford Motor Company resulting in highway mileage being overstated by as much as 15%, and city mileage being overstated by up to 10% for the Ford F-150 and Ranger pickups.
Over the lifetime of the vehicles (which is estimated to be 150,000 miles), this would result in an additional $2,000 in fuel costs at current gas prices. The class-action suit seeks $1.2 billion in damages.
“We did the math and based this lawsuit on our own independent research. Ford’s fuel economy promises are all smoke and mirrors,” said Hagens Berman managing partner Steve Berman in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. “Ford’s lies about the F-150 are masking the truth: Consumers are paying far more for these trucks than meets the eye. Over the lifetime of the vehicle, we believe F-150 owners are paying more than $2,000 more for fuel.”
Ford did not offer comment on the class-action suit.
Back in February, Ford announced they were beginning their own investigation into the matter thanks to anonymous reports from their own employees. At issue were the "road load" figures being reported to the EPA for use in vehicle mileage tests. Road load is a total value which considers tire rolling resistance, driveline power losses, and aerodynamic drag. Misreported road load figures can drastically change EPA mileage results.
Ford did not comment on the state of their investigation but did say it could affect vehicles going as far back as 2017 and may not be limited to pickup trucks. The US Department of Justice opened their own investigation into the Ford Ranger back in April.
In addition to $1.2 billion in damages, the suit also seeks an injunction to prevent Ford from manufacturing, advertising, or selling the F-150 and Ranger pickups.