DOJ Opening Criminal Investigation Into Ford's Emissions Certification Process
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Ford Motor Co’s emissions certification process in the United States, the automaker disclosed on Friday, saying it was cooperating fully with the probe and still conducting its own internal review.
Ford said in a statement the Justice Department had notified it earlier this month of the criminal investigation, which made the automaker the latest to come under scrutiny for adherence to emissions standards by U.S. officials. “Ford is fully cooperating with the government, and we’ll keep them posted on what we’re finding through our investigation and technical review,” the company said.
Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment. The Environmental Protection Agency also declined comment. Ford has held meetings with the California Air Resources Board and EPA officials and turned over documents related to its review, a person briefed on the matter said. The No. 2 U.S. automaker has also submitted a testing plan that has been approved by regulators, the person said. The first vehicle Ford is evaluating is the 2019 Ranger pickup truck.
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Ford has been embarrassed in the past by errors in fuel economy claims. In 2013, the automaker cut by seven miles (11 km) per gallon the claimed fuel economy for its C-Max hybrid model following complaints that real-world mileage did not match the claimed fuel economy. In 2014, Ford lowered fuel economy ratings for six other models and offered compensation to customers.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-ford-emissions/us-opens-criminal-probe-into-ford-emissions-certification-idUSKCN1S21BD