Hyundai and Kia

After being slapped with a class-action lawsuit claiming that the Hyundai Elantra overstated its gas mileage efficiency in ads, Hyundai defended itself by saying that its claim was certified by the EPA.  Well, in November 2012, the EPA came out saying that a gas mileage audit of Hyundai and Kia revealed that about a third of the 2011 through 2013 cars that were sold overstated the gas mileage on the window stickers.  In some cases, the automakers were off by as much as 6 miles per gallon.  The companies will be reimbursing customers for the difference between window sticker mileage and the mileage determined in the EPA tests.  For more information on the reimbursement programs, go to www.hyundaimpginfo.com and www.kiampginfo.com. (Sanders, et al. v. Hyundai Motor Company, et al., Case No. 12-cv-853)

Update: Kia Motors America Inc. was hit with a separate class-action lawsuit in December 2012, which alleges that Kia used a misleading marketing campaign to promote several of its models as achieving class-leading gas mileage. (Woodruff v. Kia Motors America Inc., Case No. 12-cv-06155)

Similarly, another class-action lawsuit was brought against Hyundai Motor Co. alleging that Hyundai overestimated the fuel efficiency of six of its 2012 and 2013 models.  (Edwin Naythons v. Hyundai Motor Co., Case No. 12-cv-07428)