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Ford recalling 12,300 2015 F-150 pickups

Ford is recalling 12,300 of its new 2015 F-150 pickup trucks in North America. According to the automaker, an upper l-shaft may have been riveted improperly on these trucks, which can cause it to separate. If that happens, drivers may lose steering control without warning. Yikes. The affected trucks were built at Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant between March 21 and 25, as well as the Dearborn Truck Plant between March 21 and 30. There are 12,328 total trucks included in this recall – 8,963 in the United States, 3,348 in Canada, and 17 in Mexico. Only 5,606 of the trucks are in customers' hands, the rest have yet to be sold. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this problem, but knows of one incident where steering control was lost, and believes it to be related to this issue. Scroll down for Ford's official statement. Related Video: FORD ISSUES SAFETY RECALL FOR CERTAIN 2015 FORD F-150 VEHICLES IN NORTH AMERICA FOR UPPER I-SHAFT RIVET ISSUE Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for approximately 12,300 2015-model Ford F-150 vehicles in North America for an upper I-shaft that might have been riveted improperly, potentially causing it to separate. If that happens, it could result in the loss of steering control without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries, but is aware of one report of loss of steering believed to be related to this condition. Affected vehicles include certain 2015 F-150 vehicles built at Kansas City Assembly Plant from March 19, 2015 to March 21, 2015 and certain 2015 F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Truck Plant from March 21, 2015 to March 30, 2015. There are 12,328 vehicles that might be affected in North America, including 8,963 in the United States and federalized territories, 3,348 in Canada and 17 in Mexico. Of those, 6,722 vehicles are unsold, meaning 5,606 vehicles are in customer's hands. Dealers will inspect the upper I-shaft assembly and replace it if necessary at no cost to the customer.

V8-powered 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor R spied testing alongside Ram TRX

Spy photographers captured Ford engineers testing what appears to be a 2022 F-150 Raptor R alongside a Ram TRX this week, giving us a sneak preview of the first major battle in the coming war for super-pickup dominance.  Ford has remained tight-lipped about the Raptor R's performance specs. We know only that it will be powered by a V8 (likely a variant of the 760-horsepower, supercharged 5.2-liter unit from the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500), and that it's due to break cover some time later this year. Given that the 702-horsepower Ram TRX will be the Raptor R's only competition (and pretty much the only reason it exists in the first place), Ford's decision to benchmark the fast Ram is a bit of a no-brainer.  The Blue Oval's performance engineers have years of practice when it comes to building high-performance off-road trucks, so despite Ram's first-strike advantage and Hellcat trump card, the TRX might actually be the underdog in this fight. Why? Well, based on what we've seen of the EcoBoost-powered 2021 Raptor so far, it should weigh at least 500-600 pounds less than the TRX, and while we expect that gap to shrink with the addition of the bigger engine, it's likely that it will still favor Ford, and perhaps significantly.  While the larger, supercharged V8 will certainly weigh more than the EcoBoost V6, it's still an all-aluminum engine (all SRT motors are based on cast-iron blocks) and Ford still has the advantage of its lightweight body panels. There will likely be more to the Raptor R's chassis modifications than a new set of engine mounting points, since the existing Raptor was not engineered to handle an 800-horsepower engine, but even with the chassis modifications necessary to handle that power, we expect the Raptor R to be the featherweight of the two.  Since Ford plans to get the Raptor R into production for the 2022 model year, we shouldn't have to wait much longer to find out just exactly how it shapes up against Ram's big dinosaur. Stay tuned. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2015 will be the biggest year ever for cars at CES

Like the SEMA Show, major automakers are paying increasing attention to the CES, with 2015 expected to be one of the most auto focused yet. Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai, Mazda, Audi, BMW and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will all be in attendance when CES 2015 kicks off next week, taking up a record-breaking 165,000 square feet of space at the Las Vegas Convention Center. "We've come a long way from a single car on a carpet," Ford's Alan Hall told Bloomberg. Unlike SEMA, or a more traditional auto show, like the upcoming festivities in Detroit, CES doesn't necessarily focus on entire cars or the way they perform, but on the way our technology will interact with vehicles, and in how those vehicles will deliver information to drivers. "CES has become a major launch point for a lot of the big automakers," IHS tech analyst Mark Boyadjis told Bloomberg. "CES is a way for them to get on a global stage for technology." As for what kind of wares automakers will trot out in Las Vegas, we already know that BMW will show off an autonomous i3 electric car that can navigate its way through a multistory car park and can be hailed via a smartwatch app. According to Bloomberg, Hyundai will show off its own smartwatch app for the Genesis sedan, while Audi and Mercedes-Benz will show off autonomous vehicles next week. Automakers won't be the only companies looking to capitalize on CES. Tech firms, like chipmaker Nvidia, are becoming increasingly involved in the automotive game and will be in town showing their wares off to OEMs. "Two years ago, our booth would have been filled with PCs and people playing video games," Danny Shapiro, Nvidia's senior director for automotive business, told Bloomberg. "This year we made a strategic decision to shift the focus of the booth on automotive and de-prioritize some of the other things." Needless to say, you can expect to see a lot of news out of Las Vegas come next week. Stay tuned. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Julie Jacobson / AP CES Audi BMW Chrysler Fiat Ford GM Hyundai Mazda Toyota Volkswagen Technology CES 2015