1929 Ford Model A Sport Coupe on 2040-cars

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Long winter means most automakers won't curb summer shutdown

A lot more happened during this latest brutal winter than days of snow and Netflix binges. Automotive sales took a battering. After all, going out car shopping when it's eleventy-billion degrees below zero isn't a good time.
Because of this Old Man Winter-induced sales slump, inventories are abnormally high as we head into the summer car buying season. That's led some analysts to predict that automakers will be more inclined to idle factories this summer, in a bid to trim some of the built-up inventory. Traditionally, American manufacturers offer up a two-week break in the middle of summer, although the burgeoning sales of the past few years have seen this practice become less popular.
"We're likely not going to see an acceleration this year," Jeff Schuster, a senior vice president at LMC Automotive, told The Detroit News. "We'll see production increases in 'pockets' but I don't know if it will be as widespread as in recent years."

Woman reunited with stolen Mustang after 28 years

An enthusiast Christmas story: Salinas, California resident Lynda Alsip bought a 1967 Ford Mustang in 1984 when she was 17 years old, having saved $800 after a summer of toil at a grocery store. She got a vanity plate that read "LYNDA67," for the year she was born, but she only got to enjoy the car for two years: in 1986, after a night out, someone stole it from her apartment complex. She hadn't seen it since. Then a man – another Salinas resident – tried to register the car at the DMV this year. He said he bought it as a project car in 1991, yet the DMV couldn't find any record of it. The DMV office sent the case of the untraceable car to the California Highway Patrol, where Officer Christopher Menchen dug into the records, and his search paid off. The officer located Alsip's stolen record report from 1986 and connected the Mustang to it's registered owner in 1986, who was Alsip's mother. The CHP found the forest green Mustang in the man's garage, and they figure it's been there since 1991. After waiting through the still-ongoing three-month investigation, the CHP reunited Alsip – now a wife and a mother of two – with her car on December 22. It's undriveable, but her original vanity plate is back on and she plans to restore it. The video above has the story. News Source: USA Today, NBC Bay Area Government/Legal Ford Coupe Classics Videos California stolen car 1967 ford mustang

Ford F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Bronco and Lincoln Aviator recalled for rollaway fears

Ford is recalling certain F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Bronco, and Lincoln Aviator models from the 2022 and 2023 model years equipped with automatic transmissions. According to documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford's 10R80 transmission may contain a loose bolt — literally an extra bolt loose inside the transmission, not a bolt that isn't tightened — that could prevent the transmission from engaging in Park. This could happen even if the gear shifter position indicates that the vehicle has been shifted to "Park." As Ford's recall acknowledgement says, "The inability to secure the vehicle in the park position can result in a rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash or injury." Dealers will replace the transmissions of vehicles affected by this defect. Note a similar-sounding recall was announced in 2022, but it was for entirely different models with entirely different transmissions. A relatively small number of units — 944 to be exact, or 4% of production — are thought to be affected by this issue, but they weren't built in successive order, meaning their VINs need to be verified by Ford. Customers are advised to contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and reference Ford's internal recall number 23S06. Because some vehicles affected by this recall could be on dealer lots, Ford sent a note to its network of dealerships advising them not to sell or demonstrate the models included in this recall, potentially until the second quarter of 2023 when Ford expects "that parts ordering information and repair instructions will be available to support this safety recall." Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2023 Ford Bronco Heritage Edition walkaround