Ford Facing US Justice Department Emissions Investigation
In the company's latest SEC filings, Ford has revealed that the US Justice Department has opened an investigation into the automaker's emissions certification process.
In February, Ford revealed that it had hired outside experts to look into the company's emissions and fuel economy test procedures. It started when company employees raised concerns with how calculations were turned into real-world results. At the time, Ford said that they had voluntarily revealed the information to the US Environmental Protection Agency as well as the California Air Resources Board.
Ford's Securities and Exchange Commission filing said that "as previously reported, the Company has become aware of a potential concern involving its US emissions certification process. This matter currently focuses on issues relating to road load estimations, including analytical modelling and coast-down testing. The potential concern does not involve the use of defeat devices. We voluntarily disclosed this matter to the US Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board on February 18, 2019 and February 21, 2019, respectively. Subsequently, the US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the matter."
"In addition, we have notified a number of other state and federal agencies. We are fully cooperating with all government agencies. Because this matter is still in the preliminary stages, we cannot predict the outcome, and we cannot provide assurance that it will not have a material adverse effect on us."
Ford isn't the first automaker to see a US federal investigation over the last few years. Most notable was Volkswagen, whose diesel emissions scandal resulted in a US$4.3 billion penalty. Fiat Chrysler agreed to a US$800 million settlement earlier this year over software used for diesel emissions testing, and Daimler is currently being investigated for diesel emissions as well.
The automaker said previously that at the current stage of its own investigation, it is still unsure if any changes to vehicle fuel economy labels or emissions certifications will be necessary. It also hasn't said which vehicles could be involved.
