Ford News: Ford Lowers MPG Numbers On Six Different Models

[William Maley]

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Not even a full year has passed since Ford lowered the fuel economy estimates on a number of vehicles, but they are doing it again. This afternoon, the company announced that it will be lowering the fuel economy ratings on a number of its 2013 and 2014 model year vehicles due to an error in the company's internal testing.

The error comes from what is known as the Total Road Load Horsepower (TRLHP). The automaker explains TRLHP is used as a measure of resistance in dyno testing for fuel economy ratings. TRLHP is different for each vehicle. Ford says that the TLRHP used on the affected vehicles was incorrect. There was also problems in how the wind tunnel testing was factored into the estimates.

"Ford is absolutely committed to delivering top fuel economy and accurate information. We apologize to our customers and will provide goodwill payments to affected owners. We also are taking steps to improve our processes and prevent issues like this from happening again," said Ford president and CEO, Alan Mulally.

The vehicles involved are:

• 2013 - 14 C-Max Hybrid (Down 3 MPG on combined)
  
• 2013 - 14 C-Max Energi (Down 5 MPG on combined)
  
• 2013 - 14 Fusion Hybrid (Down 5 MPG on combined)
  
• 2013 - 14 Fusion Energi (Down 5 MPG on combined)
  
• 2013 - 14 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (Down 7 MPG on combined)
  
• 2014 Fiesta (1.0L EcoBoost Three-Cylinder, 1.6L Four-Cylnder equipped with the Automatic, 1.6L SFE equipped with the Automatic) (Down 1 to 2 MPG on combined)
  

Ford will be issuing goodwill payments to consumers who leased or purchased the affected vehicles. Amounts will range from $125 to $1,050, depending on the model and whether it was bought or leased.

Source: Ford

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected]or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

Press Release is on Page 2

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JUN 12, 2014 | DEARBORN, MICHIGAN

FORD MOTOR COMPANY LOWERS FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS FOR SIX VEHICLES

• Ford identified an error with fuel economy ratings for certain vehicles through its internal testing and notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  
• Ford worked with EPA as the agency retested the vehicles, which resulted in lower fuel economy ratings for Ford’s 2013- and 2014-model year hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as most 2014-model year Fiestas
  
• The company apologizes to its customers, and will make goodwill payments to owners of the approximately 200,000 affected U.S. vehicles for the difference between the previous and revised ratings
  
• Ford reviewed its entire line up to determine the vehicles that required further testing and revised the fuel economy ratings for the affected vehicles. No other fuel economy ratings adjustments are planned
  

Ford Motor Company announced today it is lowering the fuel economy ratings for its 2013- and 2014-model year hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as most 2014-model year Fiestas.

Ford identified an error with fuel economy ratings on certain vehicles through its internal testing and notified EPA. The company worked with EPA as the agency retested the vehicles to determine the correct fuel economy ratings.

“Ford is absolutely committed to delivering top fuel economy and accurate information,” said Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO. “We apologize to our customers and will provide goodwill payments to affected owners. We also are taking steps to improve our processes and prevent issues like this from happening again.”

Ford reviewed its entire line up to determine the vehicles that required further testing and revised the fuel economy ratings for the affected vehicles. No other label adjustments are planned.

“This is our error. When we see an issue, we address it,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “That is why we notified EPA and lowered the fuel economy ratings for these vehicles.”

Fuel Economy Testing

Fuel economy testing involves many factors. Ford’s error was specific to a factor called "Total Road Load Horsepower", or TRLHP. TRLHP is a vehicle-specific resistance level used in vehicle dynamometer testing that determines fuel economy ratings. TRLHP is established through engineering models that are validated through vehicle testing, including physical track tests referred to as coastdown testing.

Use of these engineering models is a common industry practice, consistent with EPA regulations. These models normally are more reliable and consistent than physical vehicle tests, which can exhibit variability.

As an ongoing practice, Ford conducts tests on production vehicles to validate its engineering models. Based on coastdown testing of the Fusion Hybrid, the company found the TRLHP did not match the values used for the dynamometer testing.

Upon further testing, Ford also discovered an error specific to how we correlate wind tunnel results into the TRLHP model. Ford’s error was the result of a recent process change, which the company has since corrected.

Ford has now validated through physical vehicle testing the TRLHP for the vehicles affected by this error and also has instituted enhanced validation tests for future vehicles to prevent reoccurrence of this error.

New Fuel Economy Ratings and Customer Information

Ford has communicated to its dealers that new fuel economy labels will be available in approximately six days and that dealers may continue selling the vehicles until the new labels are received.

Ford estimates that approximately 200,000 of these vehicles have been sold or leased to customers in the United States. Affected Ford and Lincoln owners and lessees in the United States will receive a goodwill payment for the estimated average fuel cost of the difference between the two fuel economy labels, as shown in the table below.

Affected U.S. fleet owners and affected owners outside of the United States will be contacted by their local Ford representatives.

Customers with questions can contact the Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332 or visit: www.ford.com/mpglabel and www.lincoln.com/mpglabel.

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