1967 Ford Mustang Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

New Ford Police Interceptor tech protects cops' backsides

It was only a matter of time before law enforcement agencies would realize the potential of driver-assist technology for use in their Ford Police Interceptors, and, now that they have, those back-up cameras and radar systems won't be used just for parking, but for security, as well.
The surveillance mode system works when the camera or radar detects movement from behind the vehicle, and if it does when it's activated, an alarm will alert the officer inside the car, the driver's side window will roll up and the doors will lock, protecting the officer from an unwanted intrusion. The officer, of course, has the option to turn surveillance mode off, mainly in urban areas where pedestrians would constantly set the alarm off, and it can only be activated when the police car is in park.
Randy Freiburger, Ford's police and ambulance fleet supervisor, came up with the patent-pending idea when researching the needs of police officers and riding along with them, during which time he realized officers would be safer with an extra set of eyes watching the area behind their cars, especially at night or when they're completing paperwork, using the in-car computer or handling a radar gun. "Unfortunately, there are people with bad intentions who sneak up on police officers," he says.

Ford's cars being held up in Chinese ports in trade tensions with U.S.

BEIJING — Ford Motor Co's imported vehicles are being held up at Chinese ports, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, underscoring how U.S. goods are facing increased customs scrutiny in China amid a tense trade standoff. The three people said Ford and Lincoln vehicles were facing unusual delays at customs, with officials asking for extra technical checks. Two of the people said U.S.-made models of some German carmakers, mainly SUVs, being brought into China, were also affected. Ford was being asked to do extra checks on emission components, said a China-based Ford executive familiar with the matter, asking not be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. China's customs agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The holdups add to a growing list of American products facing issues at China's borders, as officials try to avert a full-blown trade war. Some trade experts said they believe Beijing is sending a defiant warning to Washington in response to sweeping U.S. trade demands made on China last week. Reuters reported Tuesday that China had ramped up inspections of pork shipped from the United States, after the country's customs agency said it would step up quarantine checks on American apples and logs. The second person, a China-based industry official with knowledge of the matter, said the delays for Ford — as well as some U.S.-made cars from BMW and Mercedes-Benz — had been going on for the last two weeks. "Customs pretends there are technical non-conformities of some nature that won't allow them to clear these U.S.-made cars through customs, but the U.S.-China trade frictions must be the background to this," he said. "Although no one will officially admit it." Responding to a request for comment from Reuters, a BMW spokesman said that "U.S.-made BMW cars have not been delayed at the ports as of last week and before." A Daimler spokeswoman said it was "monitoring the situation closely" regarding ongoing trade talks between China and the United States, but that she could not speculate further on other matters. The third person said the Ford issue, which had been noted by the United States government, and other holdups facing American goods, were clearly related to the trade dispute. A Ford spokeswoman in Shanghai when asked about the matter said: "We are closely monitoring our situation at the port." She declined to comment further.

Ford recalls 125,000 Maverick, Escape, Corsair hybrids over fire risk

Ford is recalling more than 125,000 Maverick, Escape and Lincoln Corsair hybrids produced for the 2020-2023 model years to address a fire risk associated with failure of their internal combustion engines, which Ford says is happening with undue frequency. In the event of an engine block breach, oil and fuel vapors may collect under hood in places that would make them prone to ignition, meaning that an engine failure can do more than leave owners stranded.  "Isolated engine manufacturing issues have resulted in 2.5L HEV/PHEV engine failures involving engine block or oil pan breach," Ford said in its defect report to NHTSA. "In the event of an engine block or oil pan breach, the HEV/PHEV system continues to propel the vehicle allowing the customer to continue to drive the vehicle. As the customer continues to drive after a block breach, oil and/or fuel vapor continues to be expelled and accumulates near ignition sources, primarily expected to be the exhaust system." Per Ford, the "manufacturing issues" include poor machining of the engine crankshaft and contamination of engine block mating surfaces during assembly. The issue has been fixed in production, but 2.5-liter engines that escaped the factory with defects could be ticking time bombs. Ford's solution is to re-work the underhood components that allow combustible liquids and vapors near ignition sources. This way, the cars are better protected against immolation regardless of the circumstances. Signs of failure will be obvious, Ford says. Loud clanging or booming noises, a loss of power and smoke are all immediate signs that the customer should exit the roadway as safely and quickly as possible and shut the car down.  Owners should expect to receive notifications by the end of June or early July. They should begin circulating by mid-month. All remediation will be handled for the customer free of charge by their Ford dealerships.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid