2011 Ford Escape Limited on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Roush Stage 3 Mustang

Up until now, it's been some years since I managed to get behind the wheel of the hot Mustangs tuned by the folks at Roush Performance. My memories of those vehicles are fond, as the Roush up-fits usually make for better-driving examples of the iconic Ford pony, with better-tuned suspensions, excellent short-shift kits and, of course, huge additions of power. The wake-your-neighbors aural characteristics of these cars have been nothing short of outstanding, too.
But in the years since my last experience with the Roush formula, Ford's own development team has churned out some pretty potent 'Stangs. We currently live in a world where the Blue Oval will sell you a Mustang with 662 horsepower from the factory, and the recently departed Boss 302 remains one of the best Mustangs - and best sports coupes - the Autoblog crew has ever driven.
So with great-driving and hugely powerful Mustangs coming straight off the line at Ford's Flat Rock Assembly Plant, does the Roush package still offer that extra special something to make it stand out? I spent a week with a Stage 3 coupe to find out.

Ford recalls 591,177 vehicles in four separate campaigns

Ford is issuing recalls for a total of 591,177 vehicles worldwide, in four separate campaigns. The announcement comes just days after the discovery of door-latch problems in 390,000 of the automaker's cars. The largest of these new recalls covers 518,313 examples of the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ from the 2013-2015 model years, plus the 2015 Edge. Of these, 487,301 of are in the US and 31,012 are in Canada. For vehicles in cold-weather areas, the bolts that hold the steering gear motor can corrode and fracture. If this happens, it could cause the power steering to fail, but manual control would be retained. There are no reported accidents or injuries from this problem. To fix things, dealers will replace the bolts and seal them. The next campaign covers 50,157 examples of the 2014 Focus, Edge, Escape, and Transit Connect, plus the Fiesta from 2014 and 2015. Of these, 45,505 are in the US, 4,618 in Canada, and 34 in Mexico. All of them exhibit a problem with the fuel pump where the nickel plating can cause the part to seize and the engine to stall, if this occurs. (All of which sounds like recent problems with Nissan and BMW models.) According to Ford, there is one allegation of an accident from this problem. Dealers will replace the fuel delivery module to fix the problem. Ford is also recalling 22,616 units of the 2015 Lincoln MKZ because when the headlights are on, the parking lamps are brighter than they are allowed to be. The light could affect the vision of other drivers. This campaign includes 21,435 of them in the US, 1,066 in Canada and 115 in Mexico. There are no accidents or injuries from the issue, but Ford is updating the software to dim the lights on these sedans. Finally, Ford has a safety campaign for 91 examples of the 2015 F-150 because an underbody heat shield might not be properly installed or not present at all, which can be a fire risk. There are no reports of any actual accidents or fires, though. The affected pickups will have the parts replaced or added, as necessary after a dealer inspection. To see the specific build dates for the models affected by each of these campaigns, you can read about them in the press release below. Related Video: FORD ISSUES FOUR SAFETY RECALLS IN NORTH AMERICA Ford Motor Company is issuing four safety recalls in North America. One accident and no injuries are attributed to these conditions.

Ford and Lincoln recall roundup: Explorer, F-350 Super Duty, Aviator

Ford and Lincoln released information on a flurry of recalls this morning. There are three in total, and they span different models and separate issues. Those models include the 2013-17 Ford Explorer, 2020-21 Lincoln Aviator and 2020-21 Ford F-350 Super Duty. We’ll organize these three in order of most cars recalled. 2013-17 Ford Explorer This recall includes a substantial 774,696 vehicles, of which 676,152 are in North America. Why? Ford says these vehicles “may experience a seized cross-axis ball joint that may cause a fractured rear suspension toe link.” The diminished steering control that would follow could increase the likelihood of a crash, Ford states. Only vehicles that spent time in high corrosion states should be affected, Ford says. That means places that lay salt down, experience cold weather and high humidity. Owners of these vehicles will need to take their car into the dealership, where it will be inspected to determine if it needs work. If so, Ford will replace the cross-axis ball joint/knuckle, then replace the toe links with a newly-designed part. Notifications to owners of these vehicles are scheduled to be sent out the week of August 23.  WeÂ’ll note that Ford is reporting six “allegations of injury” related to this issue. For those who donÂ’t live in the high-corrosion states/their car was never registered in those states, Ford is offering a customer satisfaction program in case you were interested in having the work done anyway. 2020-21 Lincoln Aviator Lincoln is pulling back 40,995 new Aviators due to an improperly secured battery cable wire harness. This recall applies to gasoline-only versions of the Aviator, so Grand Touring PHEV buyers neednÂ’t worry. The wire harness may contact the AC compressor pulley due to it being secured improperly. Ford says that over time, the pulley could rub through the wire harnessÂ’ insulation, resulting in a short circuit and ultimately a fire. However, Ford is not currently aware of any injuries or fires related to this concern as of now. When you bring your car in, the dealer will inspect all the parts to determine what needs to be done. Fixes range from a basic tie strap to keep the harness away from the pulley (if it hasnÂ’t made contact yet), to replacement of the wire harness and AC belt if the contact has caused damage. Owners should expect to be notified the week of July 30 if their Aviator is involved in the recall.