2011 Ford Expedition 2wd 4dr Xlt Alloy Wheels Running Boards Towing Pkg on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Yearly auto recall record demolished in 6 months

With nearly 40 million vehicles under repair campaigns and counting, 2014 will almost certainly go down as the year of the automotive recall. At just past the halfway mark, we are already at record levels, and there aren't any signs that the epidemic is slowing. General Motors' latest 8.4 million vehicle recall in the US puts the industry over the top for the title of the most cars with fixes pending from automakers ever. That's a prize no one ever wants to receive. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the US recall total has hit 39.85-million vehicles to surpass the previous record of 33.01 million in 2004. Perhaps more surprising, with over 26 million repairs pending, it's still quite possibly that GM could recall more vehicles by the end of the year than the 27.96-million unit total of the entire US auto industry last year. With over 40 campaigns under its belt in 2014, the roughly one million cars it would take would hardly come as a surprise at this point, especially with increased government scrutiny into the Detroit automaker's processes. The pace of recalls started off relatively normal this year, with just a smattering of campaigns. The most surprising early on was Aston Martin calling in about 75 percent of its output since 2007 due to counterfeit plastic, but with just a few thousand cars, it was relatively tiny in pure numbers. GM really kicked things off soon after, but we didn't know it at the time. It issued its first bulletin for 778,000 Cobalt compacts in early February. Things only ballooned from there as more models were added to its growing ignition switch problem. The onslaught of announcements from every major automaker hasn't abated since then. Some industry executives are trying to put a positive spin on the situation. "With what's transpired (in recent months), there's a higher level of scrutiny," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of the Americas, to TheDetroitBureau.com. He believes that automakers are looking at data much more thoroughly than before, and it means better customer safety. Still, many consumers probably wish these problems had been found before their car went on sale.

Ford recalls select Explorer, E-Series vans

Just a few days ago we brought you news that Ford had issued a recall on 28,000 units of the Edge crossover for problems related to the fuel line. But now the Blue Oval has issued recall notices on two more of its larger vehicles.
The first relates to the Explorer, 395 examples of which from the 2011 and 2012 model years were found to have problems with their steering systems if they underwent service after September 1, 2013. An apparent software glitch could lock the steering gear, preventing the driver from steering the vehicle and thereby increasing the risk of a crash. As a result, Ford dealers are being instructed to check their records to identify the problematic vehicles and bring them in to have the steering gear replaced. Details of the recall can be found in the PDF linked here.
The second problem revolves around E-Series vans that may develop bubbles in their windshields under hot temperatures. The decrease in visibility through the problematic windshield could - you guessed it - "increase the risk of a crash." As a result, Ford is calling in 4,532 units of the E-150, E-250, E-350 and E-450 vans built in the relatively short window between May 12 and May 26, 2011. Details of this recall can be found in the notice below from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Ford GT heading back to Le Mans [w/video]

Ford is set to return to endurance sports car racing, and return in a big way. Announced this morning at Le Mans, the Blue Oval will be entering a version of the new Ford GT in endurance racing series on both sides of the Atlantic. The highly accomplished Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team will field the Ford GT next season in the LM GTE Pro class in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and in the United SportsCar Championship, culminating in a four-car entry at next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. That will mark the 50th anniversary of Ford's landmark victory at Le Mans in 1966. The pivotal, dominant one-two-three finish lead to a further three back-to-back wins with the legendary GT40 - the historic progenitor of the new GT revealed in Detroit earlier this year. Ford isn't saying much about the technical specs underpinning the new competition-spec GT developed with Multimatic, but it's expected to follow closely along the lines of the road-going supercar we've already seen. That includes the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 developed in conjunction with Roush Yates and which has already proven a winner in Daytona Prototypes. We also know that the crazy diffuser you see here will be part of 2016's regulations. Look for the new Ford GT racer to mark its debut in January in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In the meantime, you can scope it out in the high-resolution image gallery above, the video below and the press release at bottom. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Ford Returning to Le Mans in 2016 with All-New Ford GT, Marking 50th Anniversary of 1966 Victory - Ford returns to Le Mans in 2016 with the all-new Ford GT supercar to compete in LM GTE Pro class, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Ford's 1966 overall victory - All-new Ford factory program to compete in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with a two-team, four-car effort – operated by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates - Ford GT is company's showcase for aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fibre construction, along with new twin-turbocharged Ford EcoBoost V6 – most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever LE MANS, France, June 12, 2015 – Ford announced today it is returning to one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world with its new Ford GT race car, based on the all-new ultra-high-performance supercar that goes on sale next year.