2003 Lincoln Aviator Base Sport Utility 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

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Ford F-150 could be affected by tornado-damaged supplier in S.C.

The disruption caused by a tornado that severely damaged a South Carolina auto-parts plant and killed a contract security guard last week could be felt by more automakers than just Ford and affect more than just its best-selling F-Series pickup, which is due for an update. And there’s still no estimate for when operations might resume at the plant. The Detroit Free Press reports that the BorgWarner plant in Seneca, near Greenville, makes transfer cases for F-150 and Super Duty pickups, the Ford Explorer and Expedition, Transit cargo vans, and Lincoln Navigator and Aviator SUVs. ItÂ’s also a supplier for the Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra trucks. Transfer cases shift power from the transmission to the front and rear axles in four-wheel-drive vehicles. BorgWarner says it still has no update for when it might partially or fully resume operations. The tornado that ripped through the area in the western part of the state on April 13 tore the roof, walls and signage off the factory and killed a 77-year-old contract worker when the security building he was sheltering in collapsed. Only four or five others were inside the plant, which has been idled because of the coronavirus outbreak, when the tornado struck. In an SEC filing on Friday, Ford said it has sent employees to the site to help BorgWarner and assess the damage to FordÂ’s tooling. “Initial assessments indicate that the Ford tooling was not materially damaged in this incident,” Ford said in the filing. “We do not have sufficient information to estimate when the facility will be back on-line or whether or the extent to which this incident will impact our plans to resume production of four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles.” A Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman also told the Freep the company was working with BorgWarner on recovery plans. A Toyota spokesman told Autoblog that "we are collaborating with BorgWarner to help restore production for transfer cases for Tundra assembly. We are confident that theyÂ’ll fully recover over time." Like other automakers, Ford shut down production at its U.S. plants last month as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic. But Ford hasnÂ’t yet said when it plans to reopen its factories. FCA is targeting May 4 to resume production. Models like the F-150 and Lincoln Navigator are major sources of profit for Ford, which estimated it lost $2 billion in the first quarter.

2020 Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator reportedly facing numerous QC issues

A lengthy report in the Detroit Free Press delves into a range of quality control issues confronting the 2020 Ford Explorer and its luxury platform sibling, the 2020 Lincoln Aviator. Freep says it's been following the issue for two months, tapping various unnamed sources for information on the automaker's unorthodox route to resolution. Seems the problem is Explorers and Aviators leaving the production line at the Chicago Assembly Plant with flaws in areas like the chassis, transmission and suspension, said vehicles trucked to Ford's Flat Rock Assembly Plant (FRAP) outside of Detroit for repair. The estimates range from 10,000 to 18,000 vehicles affected, numbers so high that Ford has sought help from Roush Engineering in nearby Allen Park, and brought workers and managers from other plants in the Midwest to FRAP to get vehicles repaired and shipped to dealers. Ford hasn't shared the nature of the problems with anyone outside the company, including dealers and customers. Freep's sources are said to include workers who have provided photos of certain vehicles and of tents used to house parts at the FRAP repair site. The Explorer chassis allegedly has an unidentified problem that engineers are using X-rays to diagnose, and the transmission is having problems sensing when it's in park or going into park. Both the Explorer and Aviator have come off the line with HVAC units that only blow hot air. And the Aviator's height-adjustable suspension enters failure mode for unknown reasons. These come on top of quotidian mishaps common to every new vehicle, but that are meant to be sorted in pre-production, like missing emblems and trim pieces. They also come on top of a recall in early August issued for the Explorer and Aviator concerning the instrument cluster and parking brake, and another at the end of August over rear seatbacks that could collapse in a crash. An automaker spokesperson told Freep, "Making updates to preproduction models based on all-new platforms as they roll off the assembly line – is standard industry practice." Except these aren't pre-production, these are early production vehicles that paying customers and dealers are waiting for, and some of the affected vehicles have been pulled off dealer lots. Dealers say they are fine waiting for the trucks to get sorted out, and they'd rather have Ford fix the problems before the SUVs go to customers.

Farley reacts as UAW expands strike against Ford, GM

Members of the United Auto Worker union walk out of the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant as Lance Williams from Lansing, Ill., waves the UAW flag Friday. (AP)   As the United Auto Workers walk off the job at an additional Ford and General Motors plant, Ford CEO Jim Farley addressed investors and members of the media Friday, pleading the case for the company's latest overture to the union and addressing both public and investor concerns regarding the core issues facing American manufacturing.  Farley made a public case for Ford's efforts to resolve the dispute, expressing frustration with the ongoing stalemate and noting both the concessions Ford offered before the strike began and the signing of a contract with Canada's Unifor. Farley also acknowledged UAW President Shawn Fain's success in getting the union's message out, quipping: "Shawn has been on TV more than Jake from State Farm at this point." The first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers enters its third week with threats of continued expansion, but little in the way of obvious concrete progress.  "If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this," Farley said. "It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families." Farley also lamented the fact that EVs have become the subject of partisan conflict, with the company's recently announced battery production facilities taking heat from both pundits and investors as Ford was forced to press pause on the venture while negotiations continue. Former President Donald Trump dropped in to Michigan this week to declare EVs the enemy of blue-collar jobs. "They've become a political football, and that's a shame," he said. Friday saw an expansion of the UAW strike to Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing, Delta Township, Michigan, assembly plant, covering about 7,000 workers, Fain said in an announcement, bringing the total number of workers on the picket lines to 25,000. The strike will not include any additional members at Stellantis, where talks have reportedly been more productive. The Ford and GM plants went on strike at noon Eastern today (Friday). Ford builds the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. GM's Delta Township plant builds Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave. "Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress," Fain said in a video address Friday morning.