Ashley Moody Announces Ford to Pay Millions After Falsely Advertising Vehicles

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Ford Motor Company will pay out $19.2 million to states after the company falsely advertised some of its vehicles. Florida will receive more than $563,000. 

Moody’s investigation shows Ford misrepresented the distance people could drive on one tank of gas, it marketed that driving style would not impact real world fuel economy, and claimed superior real-world fuel economy compared to other hybrids. 

“People do a lot of research before purchasing a vehicle. They should be able to trust the information companies use to market cars and trucks before making such an expensive commitment,” Moody said. 

Ford falsely advertised the real-world fuel economy of C-Max hybrid vehicles for model years 2013 and 2014 and the payload capacity of the Super Duty pickup trucks for the 2011 through 2014 model years. 

“Through this multistate action, we are helping bring transparency to this process and recovering nearly $20 million. Additionally, Floridians harmed by the alleged deceptive marketing practices received compensation,” Moody said.

Ford falsely advertised the real-world fuel economy of its C-MAX hybrid vehicles, lowering the 2013 C-Max rankings on two separate occasions. 

This multistate action bans Ford from making false or misleading advertising claims about the fuel economy or payload capacity of its vehicles.