AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a $19.2 million multistate settlement with Ford Motor Company, with Texas receiving a $1.7 million share of that amount.
The settlement between 40 attorneys general and Ford concludes an investigation into the company’s alleged false advertising of the payload capacity of model year 2011–2014 Super Duty pickup trucks and the real-world fuel economy of model year 2013–2014 C-Max hybrids.
According to a press release, the investigation revealed that Ford used a deceptive scheme to calculate the maximum payload of its pickups. Ford created hypothetical Super Duty truck configurations that omitted standard equipment, resulting in inflated payload figures—figures just high enough for Ford to make Best-in-Class payload claims. Ford used this strategy when calculating payload for advertising purposes, but not for calculating the actual payload capacity of the trucks that consumers bought. The company also misrepresented the fuel economy figures for C-Max hybrids.
“Ford has agreed not to make false or misleading claims about pickup truck payload capacity, and not to make false or misleading fuel economy claims,” said Paxton. “In today’s automotive marketplace, it is imperative that Texans receive accurate information from automakers to ensure they can make informed decisions. I will continue to stand up for the rights and well-being of Texas consumers and ensure the fairness of the marketplace.”