Ford Ranger Emissions Under Scrutiny By DOJ

Ford Ranger emissions and fuel economy ratings are being scrutinized by the government and consumers alike following recent reports.

In February 2019, Ford announced that it was hiring a third party to investigate their fuel economy testing product. According to Cars.com, a statement from Ford’s Sustainability, Environment, and Safety Engineering group said that the company was “evaluating potential changes to our road-load modeling process.”

Road load is a measure used by engineers to help determine resistance forces at play when a vehicle operates. This includes aerodynamics and tire friction. Road load calculations are typically validated by testing on a track.

An accurate road load estimate can be crucial because this measurement is used in calculating fuel economy in a laboratory. If a road load is inaccurate in any way, this could result in inaccurate fuel economy ratings. According to Ford’s February statement, the company was investigating whether or not their road load modeling was faulty which may have led to inaccurate fuel economy estimates.

In April 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would be launching a criminal investigation into Ford for the potential that inaccurate computer modeling caused the company to overstate the fuel economy on their trucks as reported by Detroit News.

The investigation was announced by Ford when the company made a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about the Ford Ranger emissions and fuel economy issue. In their filing, Ford said that the investigation is “still in the preliminary stages,” and therefore they “cannot predict the outcome, and we cannot provide assurance that it will not have a material adverse effect on us.”

Although the investigation is still pending, consumers have not hesitated to take legal action against the company – claiming that Ford should have known better and taken better care to accurately estimate fuel economy numbers for their Ranger and F150 trucks.

According to Detroit News, in May 2019, a class action lawsuit was filed against Ford Motor Co. for allegedly misrepresenting the fuel economy of Ford Ranger trucks. Plaintiff Marshall Lloyd claims that he was influenced by false statements about Ford Ranger fuel economy and would not have purchased his truck or paid as much for the vehicle if he knew that the mile per gallon figure was only a “selling tool.”

“There is no question that Ford used the fuel efficiency ratings as a sales tool to entice consumers into purchasing the 2019 Ford Ranger,” the plaintiffs claim in their Ford Ranger emissions class action lawsuit, according to Detroit News.

“By cheating in the certification testing, and providing a mileage cheat device in the vehicles, Ford made its Ranger trucks more appealing and competitive in the marketplace, to the point of being named ‘best in class’ and driving up sales and profits.”

Although Lloyd purchased a 2019 Ford Ranger, the emissions class action lawsuit argues that the Ford F150 could be affected by similar issues. Lloyd seeks to represent a Class of similarly situated consumers who may have also relied on Ford’s representations about emissions when purchasing a 2019 Ford Ranger or F150 truck.

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If you own or lease a 2019 Ford Ranger or F-150 and have experienced less-than-expected gas mileage or if you feel you are simply filling up your gas tank much more than you expected, you may be entitled to compensation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.