Ford Facing Fuel Efficiency Lawsuit

It was bound to happen sooner or later: Ford has been made a target of a group of hybrid owners concerning the lower-than-advertised real world fuel efficiency of its products.  A lawsuit, which according to the Automotive News claims to represent 'tens of thousands' of Ford hybrid owners, is seeking $5 million in damages related to false fuel mileage claims.

The cars implicated in the lawsuit are the Ford C-Max Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid, a compact hatchback and mid-size sedan, respectively, that share the same drivetrain.  The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine and electric motor combination in each of these vehicles is purported to offer 47-mpg, or 5 l/100 km, in combined driving.  Independent testing of each of these vehicles has revealed as much as a 20 percent efficiency shortfall in real-world situations when compared against the number on the window sticker, and individual owners have backed up these findings with complaints of their own made online as well as directly to Ford.

Ford claims that the advertised fuel efficiency rating of each vehicle is in accordance with EPA regulations.  The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania.