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Canadian Ford drivers have filed a class action lawsuit against the car maker, saying that the company inflated fuel efficiency ratings by using improper road condition simulators in testing.
The Ford Canada mileage class action lawsuit was filed by G. Sabourin, a driver who seeks to represent all Quebec individuals and organizations that purchased a Ford vehicle whose fuel economy was falsely inflated.
According to Sabourin, Ford intentionally misrepresented certain road conditions in fuel economy testing. Allegedly, this was done in order to make it seem as if the vehicles were more efficient during normal driving conditions than they really were.
The Canada Ford class action lawsuit says that in particular, Ford falsified the “Coast Down” testing and the “Road Load” calculations.
Allegedly, “Coast Down” measures what forces are working against the vehicle’s ability to coast. According to Sabourin, this is tested in a number of ways including driving the vehicle up to speed and then shifting to neutral, letting it coast, and measuring wind resistance, tire resistance, and other factors.
Additionally, for “Road Load,” the resistance is measured by calculating how much force is placed on a vehicle while it drives at a constant speed. Allegedly, Ford’s labs did not account for all of the factors that affect road load, which made the testing results appear better than they were.
Sabourin asserts that in effect, Ford did not properly mimic real-world driving conditions in their testing, as intended in the test. The result was reportedly inflated fuel efficiency ratings.
The Ford Canada class action lawsuit says that Ford falsified these results to entice customers into purchasing Ford vehicles. Allegedly, Ford knows that consumers prefer vehicles with better fuel economy and emissions both for economic and environmental reasons. According to Sabourin, the company took advantage of this preference to mislead consumers.
Sabourin says that many customers were financially injured by Ford’s actions because had they known that the Ford vehicles had worse fuel economy than represented, they might not have purchased them or would not have paid as much as they did for them.
According to Sabourin, Ford was aware of the problem, noting that in September 2018, Ford admitted that some of its employees questioned the testing practices. However, Ford allegedly took no action to address these concerns. Additionally, the company later faced a federal investigation into the issue, says Sabourin, as well as further criticism.
Ford Canada was also recently hit with similar class action claims that the company inflated fuel efficiency ratings for Ford trucks.
Are mileage and fuel economy an important factor in your vehicle purchasing decisions? Let us know in the comment section below!
Sabourin is represented by Andrea Grass of the Consumer Law Group.
The Canada Ford Mileage Class Action Lawsuit is G. Sabourin v. Ford Motor Company of Canada LTD, et al., Case No. 500-06-001001-193, in the Superior Court of Quebec for the District of Montreal, Canada.
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2 thoughts onFord Class Action Says Canadians Misled By Mileage Ratings
I just had my 2018 f150 inspected by Downey ford st John and there were safety recalls on the door latches….but they went ahead and put it through with everything was good without doing the recalls first…..went down the road and the drivers door opens……but they booked me in for the recall a month later knowing the latches were bad on the same day the inspection was done..motor going down on oil every 3000 km a quart of oil..after a year they come out with a recall saying it is an electrical program problem….damage already done but only want to replace the block not the heads….not Wright…was never told about fuel mileage or oil consumption or the door latches….if I had of known I probably would not have bought it.
I am interested in joining that was the first thing we noticed when I bought my 2012 Ford Escape and I sold once the Warrantee was up! I was made and even took in the receipts and still have them. My 10 year
Old grand prix had better better mileage it was brutal I should have kept my car