1999 Ford Explorer Xlt 4d Utility Automatic Transmission on 2040-cars

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UAW prepares for more strikes in the U.S. as Ford Canada talks extend

DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union said it would announce on Friday more U.S. plants to strike if no serious progress was made in talks with the Detroit 3 automakers, as a Canadian union held off on an immediate walkout at Ford's operations in Canada. The UAW last week launched a strike against Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis, targeting one U.S. assembly plant at each company. "We're not going to keep waiting around forever while they drag this out," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video message late on Monday setting the new deadline after complaining about a lack of progress in recent talks. "We're not messing around." Ford's contract with Canadian union Unifor, which represents about 5,600 workers at three plants in Canada, expired at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday (0359 GMT on Tuesday). The union said early on Tuesday that negotiations had been extended for 24 hours after it received a "substantive offer" from Ford. "Unifor members should continue to maintain strike readiness," it added. Ford said in a statement it had agreed to continue negotiations beyond the contract deadline in hopes of reaching a tentative agreement. The company has two engine plants in Canada that build V8 engines for F-Series and Super Duty pickups assembled in the United States. It also has an assembly plant in Ontario. Any walkout by Canadian workers that would shut down those engine plants could cripple U.S. production of Ford's most profitable vehicles, even if the UAW decides not to order walkouts at truck plants in Kentucky; Dearborn, Michigan; and Kansas City, Missouri. "Ours is a small but highly consequential footprint for Ford operations in North America and this is our leverage, and we will use it," Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a video message earlier on Monday. Unifor has been seeking improved wages and pensions, as well as support in the transition to electric vehicles and additional investment commitments by Ford. Once the Ford deal is completed, Unifor will turn to getting agreements with GM and Stellantis, whose deadlines were extended during the talks with Ford. U.S. NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE Talks between the UAW and the Detroit automakers continued on Monday as the U.S. strike dragged on for a fourth day with little sign of progress toward a deal. Some 12,700 workers are striking at the three U.S. plants. The union and companies are at loggerheads over pay and benefits for workers.

NHTSA investigating Ford's solution to May 2014 power steering recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a complaint that Ford's response to a May 2014 recall of the 2008 to 2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner doesn't quite go far enough to solve a troubling power-steering problem. Roughly a year ago, Ford recalled nearly a million vehicles after it was found that a problem with the torque sensor's communication with the power steering control module could cut steering assistance for drivers. While manual steering would still be available, the problem was enough to ask drivers to report in to have the PSCM inspected, and if necessary, replaced (along with the torque sensor, or in dramatic cases, the entire steering column). That would only happen, though, if trouble codes were being thrown. If there weren't any problems, dealers were told to simply update the PSCM's software so that any issues between it and the torque sensor would simply throw a visual and audio warning – power steering would still be maintained. The petitioner claimed that following the recall work, he still experienced a problem with the torque sensor. According to NHTSA, a claim was made that Ford didn't go far enough in its solution to the problem, and that "the software update itself may in fact cause further issues with the affected vehicle's power steering, causing it to fail, and ultimately requiring replacement of the torque sensor or entire steering column." The petition was filed in early February and is now officially being looked into by NHTSA.

Ford Detroit stand map clearest evidence yet of new GT, Mustang GT350R, SVT Raptor

An anonymous tipster has leaked a map of Ford's display stand plans for next week's Detroit Auto Show, and the schematic contains some interesting details that supports the idea of a Ford GT revival, as well as the presence of the rumored Shelby Mustang GT350R and F-150 SVT Raptor. The map, used by workers to help erect the Blue Oval's Cobo Hall display, maps out a show with a performance-heavy influence, with a codenamed vehicle, "Phoenix" sitting front and center, flanked by "Hummingbird 2" and "F-150 SVT Raptor Teaser." Our sources within Ford have confirmed that Phoenix is the long-rumored GT successor (a notion furthered by the presence of a pair of historic GT40s shown near the display entrance), and Hummingbird 2 refers to the GT350R (note also that there's a "Mustang Historic" GT350R on its own dais nearby). We've also learned that while the Raptor is labeled "Teaser," our Ford source assures us this is effectively the production truck. Rumors of a neo Ford GT have been picking up speed for months now, and we've been led to believe that this new car will have motorsports applications firmly on its mind, but it won't follow in the same retro-steeped design footsteps of its 2005-2006 forbearer. While the map does show Focus models on display, including the performance-oriented ST, we note that there isn't a spot seemingly earmarked for the rumored next-generation Focus RS, which has been the subject of the Motown rumormill for some time. Instead, we expect to see Ford's hottest hatch bow at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Even without a Focus RS revival, the Ford stand is shaping up to be a high-performance, high-horsepower showing, and we're excited to see if the Blue Oval can steal the show come Monday. Featured Gallery Ford Detroit Auto Show Stand 2015 Tip: mlewis Auto News Detroit Auto Show Ford Truck Coupe Concept Cars Future Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles Racing Vehicles Performance Supercars ford f-150 svt raptor 2015 Detroit Auto Show ford shelby mustang gt350r