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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.

Ken Block proves the new Ford Focus RS can handle that Gymkhana thing

Oh Ford, you've already done a lot for us today, introducing the bound-for-America Focus RS and all. But then you go ahead and add onto this day of good news by handing a prototype of the new all-wheel-drive rocket to drift maestro Ken Block and capture it all on video. Block does his usual, slipping and sliding and drifting the over-315-horsepower hot hatchback through Ford's Cologne, Germany factory, before making a final and surprising appearance at the unveiling of the new RS to European media. It's all as entertaining as it sounds, and gives us plenty of chances to hear the 2.3-liter EcoBoost at full bellow. Related Video:

Ford expands 'Do Not Drive' airbag warning to 33,000 more Ranger trucks

WASHINGTON — Ford on Monday warned an additional 33,000 owners of older pickup trucks in North America to stop driving them until potentially defective Takata Corp airbag inflators can be repaired. In January, Ford told 2,900 owners of model year 2006 Ford Ranger trucks to stop driving immediately after a second death was linked to inflators built on the same day. The expanded warning was prompted by additional testing, Ford, the second largest U.S. automaker, said in a statement, and now covers a broader time frame of production. Mazda Motor Corp said it was issuing a similar expansion for about 1,800 2006 Mazda B-Series trucks that were built by Ford after it had issued a warning for 160 trucks in January. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the vehicles pose "an immediate risk to safety" and urged owners to immediately schedule a free repair. Ford and Mazda have replacement airbag inflators available now and will tow vehicles to a dealership for repairs as well as provide loaner vehicles free of charge, the companies and NHTSA said. About 90 percent of the vehicles subject to the "Do Not Drive" warning are in the United States. Two U.S. senators in January questioned why Ford's warning only applied to a small number of the 391,000 2004-2006 Ranger trucks recalled because of Takata air bags in 2016 in the United States. Ford said last month the death in a July 2017 crash in West Virginia in a 2006 Ford Ranger was caused by a defective Takata inflator after a similar 2015 death in South Carolina. At least 22 deaths worldwide are linked to the Takata inflators that can rupture and send deadly metal fragments into the driver's body. The faulty inflators have led to the largest automotive recall in history. The other 20 deaths have occurred in Honda vehicles, most of which were in the United States. About a quarter of the 2,900 vehicles have been repaired since Ford issued the warning last month, the company said on Monday. Takata said in June it has recalled, or expected to recall, about 125 million vehicles worldwide by 2019, including more than 60 million in the United States. About 19 automakers worldwide are affected. Takata inflators can explode with excessive force, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks and have injured more than 200 people. The defect led Takata to file for bankruptcy protection in June.Reporting by David ShepardsonRelated Video: