Ford Agrees to Settle on FTC Charges of False Advertising Claims

04/11/96

Reuters reported that Ford Motor Co. and its advertising agency, Young and Rubicam, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges of false advertising claims about Ford's cabin air filtration system. The charges stem from an advertising campaign that claims the air filtration system can remove "virtually all pollutants from the cabin." Ford's particulate filter system is capable of filtering out pollution particles of a certain size or larger, but cannot filter out noxious gases or fine particles.

The agreement restrains the company and their ad agency from making broad pollution-removal claims for the Micron Air Filtration System, and requires the companies to have competent and reliable scientific evidence to back up any claims for the filters.

The agreement is subject to a 60 day public comment period before it becomes final.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel