Ford examines possible fuel economy testing issues

Ford investigates the process it uses to confirm emissions and fuel economy in the US, the advertiser announced this week. The survey comes after a handful of employees expressed concerns through Ford's internal reporting channel back in September.

The car manufacturer says it has identified possible concerns about how it calculates safe. 2019 Ranger is the first vehicle Ford considers, and it will be followed by other cars.

Ford also employed an external company to look into the specifications used in the testing. According to the EPA, the load load is "the force that is transmitted on a vehicle while driving at constant speed over a smooth surface from sources such as tire rolling resistance, driveline loss and aerodynamic features." Directions are determined by technical models and approved using methods such as physical track testing or coastdown testing.

Ford has been assisting industry technical experts and has hired an independent laboratory to do more research. It says that it is considering changes in its car model process.

To be clear, Ford has not yet decided whether fuel economy labels or emission certifications have been affected. And the potential problem does not involve the use of defeat units, says Ford. In 201[ads1]5, Volkswagen admitted to using these devices as a way to cut emissions controls during emission testing. Since then, automaker testing procedures have come under increased scrutiny.