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Ford to Pay Owners Over Lower MPG For Six Vehicles

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it would lower the fuel economy ratings for six vehicles and make goodwill payments to owners of about 200,000 cars.
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/ Source: CNBC.com

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it would lower the fuel economy ratings for six vehicles and make goodwill payments to owners of about 200,000 cars.

The action covers all of the automaker's 2013 and 2014 hybrids and plug-in hybrids, as well as the 2014 Ford Fiesta.

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The mileage on most labels will fall between one and five miles per gallon. The biggest change is for the Lincoln MKZ hybrid, whose combined city and highway fuel economy has been reduced by 7 mpg to 38 mpg.

Ford said it identified the discrepancies in internal testing and notified the EPA, which then retested the cars to compute the new ratings.

Last year, Ford lowered its mileage rating for the C-Max hybrid from 47 mpg to 43 mpg in combined city and highway driving.

Ford will compensate 215,000 buyers with payments of between $125 and $1,050. Most of those customers are in the U.S.; around 15,000 are from Canada and elsewhere.

Ford isn't the only company that's dealt with misleading mileage claims.

Consumer Reports last month challenged the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid mileage claims, finding that it tested 7 mpg below its sticker claim.

-CNBC.com staff, NBC News staff and The Associated Press.