Facts

The Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative complaint against Nissan North America Inc., based on violations of the FTC Act.

CLAIMANT'S CONTENTIONS:
The FTC accused Nissan of falsely advertising its pickup trucks through the "Hill Climb" advertisement, a commercial that shows the Nissan Frontier truck pushing a dune buggy up a sand dune. Although the commercial states that the advertisement was fictionalized, the commercial nevertheless created the impression that the feat was something that Nissan pick-up trucks are capable of handling. The FTC claimed that this was misleading, because Nissan pick-up trucks cannot do what the advertisement conveyed.

Result

The court ordered Nissan to cease showing advertisements that depict Nissan pick-up trucks performing feats it is not actually capable of performing.

Other Information

COMMISSIONERS: FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, and Julie Brill, Maureen K. Ohlhausen and Joshua D. Wright.