2001 Ford Ranger - No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Ford launches pair of recalls affecting fullsize sedans and Transit Connect van

Ford has announced a pair of pretty significant recalls affecting the 2010-2013 Ford Taurus and Police Interceptor, as well as their platform-mate, the Lincoln MKS. A separate recall covers the 2014 Transit Connect. The fullsize sedans include 205,000 vehicles built at Chicago Assembly over a variety of timeframes, ranging between December 1, 2009 and November 30, 2012. The vehicles, 194,889 of which were sold in the United States, have an issue with the spring controls on the interior door handles that could cause the door to open in a side-impact crash. The Transit Connect recall, meanwhile, includes 16,100 vans built between November 6, 2013 and September 20,2014 at the company's Valencia, Spain factory. In these vehicles, the seatbelt fasteners may not have been tightened properly, which could cause them to loosen over time, a condition that's obviously bad news in the event of a crash. Ford says it is not aware of any accidents, injuries or crashes in either recall. Owners will, of course, be notified and asked to report in for inspections and if necessary, free replacements. Scroll down for the full press release from Ford, which includes the complete breakdown of dates during which the affected sedans were built in Chicago. JAN 28, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. FORD ISSUES TWO SAFETY RECALLS Ford is issuing two safety recalls. No accidents or injuries are attributed to either of these conditions. Details are as follows: Ford issues safety recall for certain 2010-2013 Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Ford Police Interceptor sedans for interior door handle issue Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 205,000 2010-2013 Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Ford Police Interceptor sedans due to an issue with the spring that controls the interior door handles. If the spring is unseated, the door may become unlatched in a side-impact crash, increasing the risk of injury. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this condition. Affected vehicles include certain 2010-2013 Ford Taurus vehicles built Dec. 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010 and Feb. 1, 2011 to Nov. 30, 2012 at Chicago Assembly Plant; certain 2010-2013 Lincoln MKS vehicles built June 2, 2011 to Oct. 31, 2011 at Chicago Assembly Plant; and certain 2010-2013 Ford Police Interceptor sedans built Dec. 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010 and Feb. 1, 2011 to Nov. 30, 2012 at Chicago Assembly Plant.

Generation Z prefers Ford, wants better fuel efficiency

Fear not the future, dear green-car enthusiast. For the youngest drivers like good gas mileage. And they don't really like SUVs or trucks. Breathe easier. About 80 percent of drivers ages 16 to 21, part of what's known as 'Generation Z,' prefer cars more than any other type of larger light-duty vehicle, with about half of that group preferring compact cars, The Detroit News says, citing data company MaritzCX. That company polled about 1,100 prospective young car buyers and found them to put a priority on fuel economy because that group is... well, cheap. To put that demographic's vehicle choice into perspective, just a third of light-duty vehicles sold in the US last year were cars, while the rest were SUVs and trucks. So the future is bright, and possibly devoid of some of the smog we're now seeing. Meanwhile, Ford is the most popular brand among younger drivers, again reflecting that company's more recent emphasis on hybrids, plug-ins and high-fuel-economy gas-burning engines. Ford's US green car sales fell 1.4 percent last year to about 86,500 units (falling C-Max Hybrid demand pulled the American automaker's numbers down), so we'd think that this is very welcome news for the Blue Oval. Featured Gallery 2013 Ford C-Max Energi: First Drive View 20 Photos News Source: The Detroit News Green Ford Fuel Efficiency

Ford will add lots of carbon fiber to new vehicles

With BMW receiving a bunch of positive press for its usage of carbon fiber to build its i3 and i8 plug-in vehicles, Ford is jumping into that game as well. The US automaker has reached a manufacturing agreement with Dow Chemical to speed up the use of that material in Blue Oval vehicles. Carbon fiber usage will cut weight from Ford's new products, boosting fuel efficiency as a result. Ford will work with DowAksa, a 50/50 joint venture between Dow Chemical and Turkey-based Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii A.S, on a manufacturing partnership. The goal is to speed up technology research to make it cheaper to make cars and trucks with carbon fiber materials. Ford's light-weighting efforts received a boost of sorts this week when its aluminum-body 2015 F-150 was awarded a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's testing, making this year's version the safest to date. The new body construction cut 700 pounds from the truck's curb weight. Take a look at Ford's press release about DowAksa below. FORD, DOWAKSA TO JOINTLY DEVELOP CARBON FIBER FOR HIGH-VOLUME AUTOMOTIVE LIGHT-WEIGHTING APPLICATIONS Ford and DowAksa formalize agreement to advance the adoption of cost-effective carbon fiber components through technology validation and proof of concept to reduce vehicle weight and increase fuel efficiency without sacrificing strength Agreement provides pathway for a high-volume manufacturing partnership New joint development agreement accelerates joint research announced in January in partnership under new U.S. composites manufacturing institute Ford and DowAksa today signed a joint development agreement (JDA) to formally advance research on cost-effective, high-volume manufacturing of automotive-grade carbon fiber, a material poised to play a significant role in the drive to make vehicles lighter for greater fuel efficiency, performance and capability. The agreement, between Ford Motor Company, Ford Global Technologies and DowAksa – a 50/50 joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company and Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii A.S – will combine DowAksa's feedstock capacity, carbon fiber conversion and downstream intermediates production capabilities with Ford's expertise in design, engineering and high-volume manufacturing. The goal is to produce materials that make cost-effective carbon fiber composite parts that are much lighter than steel but meet automotive strength requirements.