Ford Hybrid Owners Sue Over Disappointing Fuel Economy
Ford’s fuel economy claims are being put to the test, legally, with a new lawsuit having been filed by owners of the brand’s hybrid models in Pennsylvania.
“Plaintiffs are some of the tens of thousands of consumers who purchased a Fusion Hybrid or C-Max Hybrid, only to be stuck with under-performing, less valuable vehicles that inflict higher fuel costs on their owners,” reads the complaint, which is seeking $5 million in damages.
While Ford argues it is in compliance with EPA testing, the lawsuit contests that those tests don’t reflect real world scenarios and that Ford should have known the fuel economy of its models didn’t live up to the claimed numbers as each car is equipped with an onboard readout of fuel economy.
SEE ALSO: 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid Review
Both the C-Max and Fusion Hybrid are rated at a combined 47 mpg, though independent testing has not supported those claims.
According to Consumer Reports, the Fusion Hybrid achieved 39 mpg while the C-Max Hybrid returned just 37 mpg. While some discrepancy is expected between claimed and real world numbers, these were the largest gaps between the two numbers that the consumer publication had ever recorded.
In AutoGuide testing of the Fusion Hybrid also returned just 39 mpg.
[Source: Bloomberg]
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With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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