Owners sue Ford over emissions cheating

A US lawsuit brought by North American customers alleges Ford rigged certain F Series Super Duty diesel utes to cheat emissions tests.

The suit accuses Ford and German electronics firm Bosch of "knowingly installing emissions-cheating software devices in 2011-2017 Ford 250 and 350 Super Duty diesel pickup trucks," according to a statement from Hagens Berman, the law firm behind the suit.

The lawsuit claims Ford manipulated the emissions system in violation of federal requirements and the affected trucks release twice the legal limits of emissions during normal driving.

The infamous ‘dieselgate’ emission-cheating scandal that came to light in 2015 cost Volkswagen tens of billions of dollars in settlements and fines.

Ford said in a statement that all of its vehicles comply with all US Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board emissions regulations.

“Ford vehicles do not have defeat devices,” the company said. “We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims.”

Hagens Berman has launched lawsuits in the last year against General Motors and Fiat Chrysler as well as engine maker Cummins, making similar allegations.

In the tests conducted on the F-250 and F-350 vehicles, “emissions are routinely as high as five times the standard,” the lawsuit said, adding that the trucks should bear the moniker “Super Dirty”.

Hagens Berman managing partner Steve Berman said in a statement to CNN Money that Ford deceived customers while also marketing the vehicles as low polluting.

"Ford's advertising of these Super Duty pickups is littered with over-the-top promotion of fuel economy and so-called 'cleanest ever' power," Berman said.

"Ford not only cheated emissions in these trucks, but cheated consumers as well, playing up promises it couldn't keep."

Available in Australia via a number of right-hand drive converters, the Ford F-Series is North America’s biggest-selling vehicle and has been since 1981.