1969 Lincoln Continental on 2040-cars

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NHTSA closes rollaway investigation into 1.56M Ford SUVs

It's taken four years of study, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has finally closed the books on its investigation into rollaway accusations surrounding 1.56-million Ford SUV models.
The probe, which centered on the 2002-2005 Ford Explorer, 2002-2005 Mercury Mountaineer and 2003-2005 Lincoln Aviator, ends without the federal agency calling for a recall. According to The Detroit News, the investigation was closed due to a "low number of complaints" - NHTSA documented 180 such complaints that resulted in 14 crashes and six minor injuries, but the number of incidents have been slowing. The suspected defect rate for the trucks' automatic transmissions was found to be 4.4 per 100,000 units, and the brake-shift interlock mechanism failure rate was judged to be even lower at 3.4 per 100k.

Ford announces four recalls, 1.4M vehicles affected

Ford is taking a bit of the spotlight away from General Motors, announcing a major group of recall campaigns, covering a total of 1.4 million vehicles built between 2006 and 2013.
Let's start with the big one, which covers the Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and, according to The Detroit News, Ford-built Mazda Tribute CUVs. 915,216 vehicles are covered, all of which were built in model years 2008 to 2011. 736,000 vehicles are in the US, while Canada then Mexico make up the vast majority of the remainder. The problem is due to an issue with the torque sensor in the steering column, which could lead to sudden power steering failure. Manual steering would still be available, though.
"Dealers will perform one of three service fixes, depending upon what diagnostic codes are shown when the vehicle is taken to the dealer," Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker wrote to Autoblog in an email. "They will either update software for the power steering control module and the instrument cluster module; replace the torque sensor; or replace the steering column, which includes upgraded power steering control module software."

2019 Lincoln Nautilus replaces the MKX, adds a price increase and tech

The 2019 Lincoln Nautilus forms the next step in Lincoln's overhaul. Replacing the crossover formerly known as the MKX — the brand's best-seller in the U.S. — the Nautilus gets all-new sheetmetal from the A-pillar forward. This includes a mesh grille and chrome accents that bring the midsize CUV in line with the Continental sedan and Navigator full-sized SUV. A new base engine and more standard equipment help pad a price increase, the Nautilus starting at $40,340, plus $995 destination, for $41,335 total. That's a $1,305 price bump over the MKX, and just $255 short of the starting price of the crosstown rival Cadillac XT5. Optional all-wheel drive adds $2,495. The "Premier" appellation for the entry-level model goes away — it's now just Nautilus. The Select, Reserve and Black Label trims carry over. Lincoln said the new interior bestows best-in-class headroom and legroom. The standard model comes with 10-way power seats, a 12.3-inch digital dash, an eight-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sync 3, and 18-inch wheels. The $45,540 Select adds leather seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, and LED fog lights. The $49,870 Reserve puts climate control in those seats, a panoramic roof overhead, a 13-inch Revel audio system all around, and 20-inch wheels below. The $57,890 Black Label upgrades to Venetian leather seats and Alcantara headliner, a 19-speaker Revel Ultima stereo, and 21-inch aluminum wheels, plus a host of exclusive interior materials, and anytime car washes. The standard engine goes down in power: the 2.0-liter, twin-turbo, four-cylinder EcoBoost puts out 245 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, replacing the 3.7-liter V6 that got 303 hp and 278 lb-ft. Yet the old 3.7-liter made do with a six-speed automatic, while all Nautilus models get Ford's new eight-speed automatic, and the EcoBoost comes with start/stop. The optional engine, available on Select, Reserve, and Black Label trims, remains a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 with 335 hp and 380 lb-ft, and costs a further $2,070. The Nautilus introduces Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 to the range, which bundles features such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a backup camera, and blind-spot information with cross-traffic alert. You can play around with all the options on the Nautilus configurator. While you're there, spare a thought for the MKZ sedan and MKT crossover.