Wisconsin to receive over $325k in Ford Motor Company settlement

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In a multi-state effort, Wisconsin will receive $325,247 as part of a $19.2 million false-advertising settlement with Ford Motor Co., Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Tuesday.

According to the claim, Ford falsely advertised the real-world fuel economy of its model year 2013–2014 C-Max hybrids and the payload capacity of its model year 2011–2014 Super Duty pickup trucks.

The settlement was led by Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont and Arizona with 35 additional states and jurisdictions taking part, including Wisconsin.

For 2013-2014 C-Max hybrids, Ford, through a series of advertisements, misrepresented the distance consumers could drive on one tank of gas. The auto manufacturer claimed that its vehicle’s fuel economy was superior to other hybrids’ by promoting an initial rate of 47 miles a gallon in city and highway. Ford eventually lowered the rate to 42 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway and a combined 40 mpg for a mix of both types of driving.

Included in the 2011-2014 Super Duty pick-up trucks were the F-250, F-350 and F-450 models. The suit alleged that Ford, in its advertising, neglected to take account of standard features like spare wheels, tires and jacks, center-flow consoles and radios when calculating the trucks’ maximum payload capacity. Only fleet customers could order special configuration vehicles, despite Ford advertising them to all customers.

Ford has 30 days to remit the settlement funds to the involved parties.