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Ford has agreed to one of the largest customs penalty settlements in recent U.S. history, according to the Justice Department. The automaker will pay $365 million to resolve allegations that it misclassified vehicles to gain a financial advantage on import tariffs.<\/p>\n

Between April 2009 and March 2013, Ford declared that it was importing Transit Connect<\/a> vans from Turkey for passenger use. However, the U.S. government alleges that the automaker was dishonest about this, aiming to pay the much lower 2.5 percent duty rate, instead of the 25 percent tariff, commonly referred to as the “chicken tax,” that the vans should have been subject to as cargo vehicles.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department asserts that Ford misled U.S. Customs<\/a> and Border Protection by incorporating “sham rear seats,” along with other temporary features, into the vehicles. According to the government’s allegations, upon arrival in America, these rear seats — which were “never intended to be, and never were, used to carry passengers” — were then removed, and the vans were reverted to their original two-seat cargo configuration.<\/p>\n

Read: Ford May Pay U.S. $1.3 Billion Fine For Importing Transit As Passenger Van From Turkey<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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