HispanicBusiness

WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Company was sued in the state of Illinois for illegally charging higher fees to Latino car purchasers. The lawsuit, filed some days ago in the name of Rudy Rodríguez, argues that when Latinos visit car shows in the Chicago area, they receive more costly financing offers than other ethnic groups.

According to the lawsuit, Ford's financial branch Ford Motor Credit Corp. encourages car dealers to take advantage of "language barriers." The lawsuit establishes that many Hispanic Americans are victims of this kind of predatory practices. When negotiating with Latinos, dealers do not explain all details about the credits, or else avoid mentioning additional fees to be charged afterwards.

Rodríguez's lawyer Kenneth Wexler said her client received an 18.95 interest rate when she bought a Ford Escort 1999 from the dealer "Bert Weinman Ford." The rate was much higher than that offered to Anglo-Saxon customers.

This was Wexler's second case against Ford, as one week before he had accused it of discriminating African Americans in the state of Indianapolis. The motor company refused to comment on the issue.

Rodríguez's case adds to a series of legal problems affecting Ford's image among Latinos and the U.S. society at large. A recent scandal in relation to thousands of cars with deficient tires and ensuing rumors that, after learning this, the firm did not make every effort to prevent accidents, severely damaged Ford's credibility, forcing President and CEO Jacques Nasser to quit at the beginning of the month.