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Ford Focus 1.0-liter Ecoboost to only get manual trans in US

Photos of the 2015 Ford Focus leaked earlier today, but now we're able to tell you more details of the global five-door hatchback. Bucking automaker's troubling trend of ditching manual transmissions in favor of automatics, Ford says the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will come only in a six-speed manual in the US, because, well, American drivers aren't as sophisticated as our European brothers and sisters.
Ford didn't come out and say it that way, but it has found American drivers are more prone to complain about automatics in smaller-engine cars, Raj Nair, Ford's group vice president of global product development, said at a press conference last week. The recent JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study backs up Ford's claims, pointing out that drivers are complaining about rough transmission shifts, engine hesitation and lack of power, particularly in small cars. In Europe and other parts of the world, drivers seem to understand the quirks of these pint-sized engines, Nair said, so they'll have the option to buy an automatic. Ford is working on tuning its dual-clutch transmissions to make them more amenable to American driver's tastes.
Ford will show off the refreshed 2015 Focus at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. The car is due for an update, having been on sale in its current form since 2012. The automaker said it is jamming the car full of new technology - like a USB port that promises to charge your phone in half the time as a regular USB port. Features like Sync and a rear back-up camera will come standard. For a more in-depth look at the car, take a look at the full press release.

Ford wins second consecutive International Van of the Year award with Transit Connect

The redesigned 2014 Ford Transit Connect isn't even on sale yet, but it's already making its presence felt around the world. At a commercial vehicle expo in Russia, the Transit Connect was named the International Van of the Year.
Ford's small work van edged out the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter by just seven points to allow Ford to grab this honor for the second consecutive year, which it won last year with the Transit Custom. Not only does this make Ford the first to ever win the award in back-to-back years, but it's also the fifth time the automaker has won this award since 2003 (two with the Transit Connect, two with the fullsize Transit and once with the Transit Custom). Ford congratulates itself for the accomplishment in a press release posted below.

Ford recalls 462,000 SUVs over faulty rear camera

Ford has had some issues with its backup cameras in recent years, and the troubles are continuing with yet another recall announced today. In this recall, certain Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with the 360-degree parking camera could lose the rear-view camera feed. The newest recall affects some 462,000 vehicles worldwide, Reuters reports, including 382,759 in the U.S. under NHTSA recall 23V-022. The recall applies to the 2020-2023 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, as well as the 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair. The remedy involves dealers updating the vehicles’ image processing module software free of charge. This latest issue expands a previous recall, and applies to vehicles that have already been serviced under recall 21V-735. Owners will be notified by mail around February 20, and owners can also contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford told NHTSA that it first became aware in October 2021 of a small number of complaints of a blue screen from the rear camera feed on vehicles that had already been repaired. Ford worked with suppliers to track down the potential issue, and said warranty claims remained low until December 2022, when it started to see more claims for blue screens in vehicles produced after the last remedy, at which point Ford ordered a stop-ship on those vehicle lines. Ford said itÂ’s aware of 17 minor accident reports related to the issue, but no injuries. In addition to this recall, Ford has had other camera issues in the past few years that resulted in recalls. NHTSA recall 22V-151 applied to 2021-2022 Edge SUVs experiencing “a distorted, black and white, or discolored screen” when reversing. 2021-2022 Ford Broncos had an issue where the rear-view camera would remain on even after the vehicle was put back into a forward gear. Last year, Ford recalled 330,000 Mustangs for faulty cameras, as well as 277,000 Super Duty trucks over foggy rear-view cameras. In 2021, NHTSA opened an investigation into whether Ford was slow to recall more than 620,000 vehicles for faulty cameras. Recalls Ford Lincoln Safety Crossover SUV