2011 Ford Fusion Se on 2040-cars

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Ford issues four recalls covering 163k vehicles

Recalls! 2014 will be forever remembered as the year that automakers went recall crazy, with millions and millions of vehicles adding up to crush previous recall records well before the end of the year. Adding to that tally is Ford, which announced a call-back for 163,000 vehicles.
Leading that charge are the 2.0-liter, EcoBoost four-cylinder engines of the Ford Focus ST and Ford Escape. 160,000 of the 2013 and 2014 models have bad wiring harnesses that can disrupt the signals traveling to the powertrain control module. That, in turn, could lead to a check engine light, reduced power and stalling. Notably, Ford hasn't recalled any other vehicles that feature the 2.0 EcoBoost, such as the Fusion, Taurus or Explorer.
While the Focus ST and Escape constitute the vast majority of recalled vehicles, they aren't the only problem children in the Ford family. 1,300 Transit passenger vans from model year 2015 were recalled due to brake fluid leaks, while another 600 Transit cargo variants were recalled after Ford discovered the windowless sliding doors could come open in the event of a side-impact crash. Dealers will replace the sealing washers on the passenger variants and add a reinforcement plate on the cargo models, The Detroit News reports.

2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R vs. 2022 Ram TRX | By the numbers

Ford has responded to the Ram 1500 TRX with its own supercharged supertruck: the brand-new 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R. Ford may be late to the party, but fans can rest assured that its 5.2-liter supercharged V8 is ready to throw down, packing 700 horsepower in a leaner, more-focused package. You can read all about the new Raptor R in our debut write-up, but if you're curious how it stacks up to the TRX by some of its key metrics, you're in the right place. Let's get started.  Performance Let's go ahead and get this one out of the way. Both of these trucks offer blistering performance figures, but a quick glance at the specs suggests a clear winner. Both the Ford and Ram are half-ton crew cab pickups powered by supercharged V8s, but how that package comes together differs pretty significantly between the two.  2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R Engine: 5.2-liter supercharged DOHC V8 Power: 700 horsepower Torque: 640 pound-feet Suspension: Independent double-wishbone (front); five-link coil with Panhard rod (rear); continuously variable active Fox dampers (both) Curb Weight: 5,950 pounds 2022 Ram 1500 TRX Engine: 6.2-liter supercharged OHV V8 Power: 702 horsepower Torque: 650 pound-feet Suspension: Independent double-wishbone (front); five-link coil with track bar (rear); active Bilstein dampers (both) Curb Weight: 6,395 pounds Conclusion It was looking good for the TRX right up until the end there. Ram has the edge in total power and torque — just barely — but that advantage disappears when you consider the TRX's extra heft. 400 pounds may not seem like the end of the world in the context of these trucks, but weight plays a roll in all aspects of performance. This looks like a home run for the Blue Oval.  Off-road Raptor was the default half-ton performance truck for many years, but with OEMs getting ever more serious about building full-size pickups that can take a beating off-pavement, Ford has leaned harder into the Raptor's high-speed performance. Ram's approach was similar, only with more power — until now, that is. But there's more to off-roading than blasting across the desert.

Mulally to stay at Ford through end of 2014 at least

Alan Mulally isn't going anywhere... at least not just yet. The CEO who helped turn around Ford Motor Company has been linked to the top job at tech behemoth Microsoft, leading to a flurry of rumors about potential successors. Those rumors, though, may have just been put to rest - at least for a little while.
Speaking to Edsel Ford II (great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford) at the unveiling of the new Mustang, Automotive News Europe confirmed that Mulally would stick around until the end of next year. "Alan is staying through the end of 2014 and that's all I know," said Ford. "Frankly, he has told us that his plan is to stay with Ford through the end of 2014."
Presuming that Edsel Ford is correct and that Microsoft isn't so hot on Mulally that it saves the position for him, it seems increasingly likely that the 68-year-old exec is more interested in continuing to work in Dearborn rather than in Redmond.