4x4 Pickup,54,000 Original Miles,garage Kept on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Car-crazy 5-year-old boy writes automakers for treasures, gets big response

Part of the beauty of children is that they can find worth in something adults might deem unworthy or overlook entirely. Five-year-old Patch Hurty didn't see garbage or a broken piece of a car when he spotted a Ford badge lying on the side of a road. He saw an artifact, a souvenir, a start to a collection he could only dream of. Ezra Dyer of Popular Mechanics tells the story of Patch and his quest to turn that one lost badge into a museum of manufacturer logos. According to the article, Hurty is a car fanatic through and through, even using car names as a way of learning to read. After finding the Ford badge near his Connecticut home, he and his mom put together a plan to reach out to dozens of automakers, confessing his love of things on four wheels. In each letter, Patch assembled a picture of himself standing next to one of the cars, and a penny to pay for whatever he hoped was sent his way. The response was unexpectedly and overwhelmingly positive. Of the more than 50 letters he sent out, including to obscure or defunct companies such as Bugatti, Suzuki, and Saturn, a majority responded with warm notes and some type of souvenir. Two of the coolest responses came from Lincoln and Bentley. Lincoln sent a sketch of a Continental (all car lovers enjoy drawing cars, right?), and Bentley sent a wheel center cap. How awesome is that? The story reminds us of something that can easily be lost in all of the negativity involved with the auto industry: Everybody is in this because of a common infatuation with automobiles. For more details on the souvenirs Patch received and accompanying photos, read the rest of the story. Related Video: News Source: Popular Mechanics Read This Bentley Bugatti Ford Lincoln Saturn Suzuki

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.

Hurricane Sandy cost automakers 15,000 vehicles, may have ruined up to 200k

Hurricane Sandy was the largest Atlantic storm in US history, and its total economic impact is just now coming into view. According to Automotive News, Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Honda are set to scrap around 15,000 new vehicles ruined by the storm. Nissan alone accounts for about 40 percent of those, with 6,000 Nissan and Infiniti models deeded "un-saleable" due to damage. The company saw 56 dealerships shuttered due to the storm, but 51 of those have since reopened.
Toyota, meanwhile, had some 4,000 vehicles at its Newark port facility, and of those, 3,000 may be scrapped. An additional 825 were dealer inventory when they were ruined. Honda and Acura dealers are reportedly sending 3,440 vehicles to the salvage yard. By comparison, Chrysler weathered the storm fairly well with 825 units destroyed, while Hyundai suffered only 400 lost units and Kia scrapped around 200.
As you may recall, Fisker also suffered some losses, and Automotive News reports the manufacturer saw 320 Karma models damaged beyond repair. Ford and General Motors have yet to come up with estimates, and no automaker has commented on the full cost of replacing the vehicles.