Ford sued for diesel emissions, a la Volkswagen

This is big news as it involves another automobile manufacturer purposefully designing software to skirt around federal emissions regulations.  FCA and Volkswagen have had issues very similar to this.  This affects 2011-2017 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty diesel pickups.  

Ford Motor Co. rigged at least 500,000 heavy-duty trucks to beat emissions tests, drivers claimed in a lawsuit, adding to the tally of carmakers linked to diesel-cheating allegations worldwide that started in 2015 with Volkswagen AG.

Ford’s F-250 and F-350 Super Duty diesel pickups, a slice of the top-selling F-Series, are spewing emissions as much as 50 times the legal limit for nitrogen oxide pollutants, according to the complaint. The trucks sold from 2011 to 2017 cost $8,400 more than their gasoline-fueled counterparts, the filing shows.

Ford marketed the trucks as “the cleanest super diesel ever,” while the lawyer behind the suit said they should have been called “Super Dirty.”

“The vehicle’s own on-board diagnostic software indicates emission control system to be operating as Ford intended, even though its real world performance grossly exceeds the standard,” attorney Steve Berman, a managing partner at Hagens Berman, said in the complaint.

Ford worked with German automotive supplier Robert Bosch GmbH to mask the vehicles’ inefficiencies in order to maintain overall performance, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in Detroit federal court. Bosch is named as a defendant in the proposed class action.

More information can be found on the developing story here. 

The case is Gamboa v. Ford Motor Co., 18-cv-10106, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit).

If own a 2011-2017 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty diesel pickups and would like a free consultation regarding your rights as a consumer or to see if your vehicle qualifies under lemon law, please call us at 424-299-4447 or visit us at www.valerolaw.com.