A misleading brochure about the Mustang Mach 1 cost Ford millions to correct, and a fine as the topping on the cake.
Australia’s top consumer watchdog has fined Ford $53,280 because the automaker listed features of the Ford Mustang Mach 1 that were not actually optional. This came on the heels of Ford spending $4.5 million dollars to correct the errors, including partial refunds free servicing, and a track day experience that was offered to buyers of the Ford Mustang Mach 1. Approximately 700 Mach 1s were sold in Australia, so the fine from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) was the least of their worries.
The ACCC concluded that Ford was “misleading consumers about the performance features of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in four different versions of brochures promoting these vehicles which were published by Ford.” They say that on the Ford Australia website, published versions of the brochures were incorrect from October 2020 through to April 2021. The brochures outline certain features on the Ford Mustang Mach 1 that customers couldn’t get. The Mustang Mach 1 special edition is in excess of $83,000 in Australia, making it quite a bit more expensive than the base model Mustang.
“We allege Ford made serious mistakes in its brochures outlining the features of the more expensive Mustang Mach 1, resulting in false claims being made to consumers in breach of the Australian Consumer Law,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a media statement.
“The performance characteristics of the Ford Mustang Mach 1 were an important selling point, so these claims about key features of the Mach 1 vehicle may have led some consumers to buy the car who may otherwise have opted to purchase another vehicle.”
