2013 Ford Edge Limited on 2040-cars

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Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator recalled for fire risk

Owners of some 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs are being urged to park their vehicles outdoors and away from structures until they can be taken to dealers for repairs. Ford issued a recall covering 39,000 vehicles due to engine fires under their hoods, and it's not certain at this point what's causing the flames to start. According to documents posted on the National Highway Safety Administration's website, "The remedy is still under development." Ford says it has reports of 16 under-hood fires, with 14 of those happening in vehicles owned by car rental companies. The fires can happen even while the engine isn't running. According to Ford, "Some customers have reported a burning smell and smoke from the front passenger engine compartment while driving." The fires seem to be starting "in the rear of the engine compartment near the passenger side of the vehicle." Despite the under-hood fire risk, Ford is not at this time recommending that owners stop driving the vehicles. "We are working around the clock to determine the root cause of this issue and subsequent remedy so that customers can continue to enjoy using their vehicles," Jeffrey Marentic, general manager of Ford passenger vehicles, said in a statement. Ford says the fires appear to be limited to SUVs built from Dec. 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021 and says it has no fire reports from vehicles built before or after those dates. In a separate recall, Ford is also calling in about 310,000 heavy-duty trucks because the driver's air bag may not inflate in a crash. That recall covers certain 2016 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 trucks. According to documents posted by NHTSA, dust can get into the airbag wiring in the steering wheel, which can cut electricity to necessary components. To fix the problem, dealers will replace the steering wheel's wiring. And in a third recall, Ford announced it is bringing in 464 Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs from 2021. A software problem in the electric vehicle can cause unintended acceleration, deceleration or a loss of drive power in all-wheel-drive vehicles. NHTSA documents say that the powertrain control computer may not detect a software error. The problem will be fixed by dealers or by an online software update.

Ford hybrids getting update to improve fuel economy

Ford has announced that it is introducing "calibration updates designed to improve on-road fuel economy for owners of the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid."
We can speculate that these changes are at least due in part to lawsuits over mileage claims of hybrid vehicles. The automaker is enhancing 2013 models starting in August by raising their electric cruising speed to 85 miles per hour from 62 mph, optimizing the use of active grille shutters and the climate control system, shortening the engine warm-up period by 50 percent and reducing electric fan speed to minimize the fan's energy consumption.
It bears mentioning that Ford is doing pretty well in the US electrified vehicle market this year. The company claims to have grown its share in the segment by 12 points to 16 percent while taking a high number of Toyota Prius trade-ins in the process. Conversely, Toyota has experienced a five-percent drop in new-Prius sales over the same period. Additionally, Ford states that it has increased its share of the US vehicle market by one percent this year, more than any full-line automaker.

Ford starting up 2.0L EcoBoost engine production in Ohio

Joe Hinrichs, Ford's President of The Americas (pictured above), announced today that in late 2014, the automaker will be building the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder at its Cleveland Engine Plant, a move requiring a $200-million investment and the hiring of 450 new employees. European-built Ford products will continue to source this engine from the Valencia, Spain plant where all of these EcoBoost four-cylinder engines are currently built, and the new Cleveland engines will be used for all North American-made models.
Ford is planning to build its popular EcoBoost engines regionally to maximize production capacity and meet customer demand. Last year, Ford sold 334,364 vehicles with EcoBoost engines in the US alone, and that number is expected to swell to more than 500,000 by the end of this year, with global sales expected to total 1.6 million. By 2015, Ford says that 95 percent of its nameplates will offer an EcoBoost engine.
One such vehicle that could be adding an EcoBoost engine, according to Automotive News, is none other than the 2015 Ford Mustang. The report says that Ford could use either the 2.0-liter EcoBoost or an upcoming 2.3-liter EcoBoost in the sixth-generation pony car.