2021 Lincoln Aviator Reserve on 2040-cars

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Ford recalls 1.48 million F-150s for transmission, plus other models

Weeks after recalling more than 800,000 F-Series pickup trucks for a fire risk, Ford has issued another separate recall for approximately 1.48 million 2011-2013 F-150s for a transmission fault. The six-speed automatics could unexpectedly downshift into first gear without warning. Ford and Lincoln tangentially issued much smaller recalls for the Mustang, Continental, Nautilus, and Navigator. According to Ford, some 2011-2013 model year F-150 pickups with six-speed automatic transmissions could "experience an intermittent loss of the transmission output speed sensor signal to the powertrain control module." This could potentially cause the trucks to temporarily downshift, which could be dangerous if it occurs while driving. Of the 1.48 million affected trucks, 1.26 million are in the U.S. while 221,000 are in Canada. Thus far, Ford knows of five reported accidents involving the issue. To remedy the problem, owners can take their trucks to dealers to update the power control module software. Ford also issued recalls for about 4,350 2019 Mustangs, Lincoln Nautiluses, and Lincoln Navigators in the U.S. and Canada due to a possible fault with the instrument clusters. Although there have been no reports of accidents, Ford says the instrument panel clusters assemblies might be blank or not turn out when the vehicle is started. Additionally, Ford issued a third recall for 28,200 2017-2019 Lincoln Continentals in the U.S. and Canada. Ford says silicon contamination might build up inside the door latch motor, causing it to malfunction. As a result, the door latch might not always fully engage, and the doors could possibly open unexpectedly. Despite no reports of accidents, Ford will remove and replace door latch assemblies on all doors for those affected by the defect. If any of these apply to a vehicle you own, contact Ford to discuss whether it is included in any of these recalls and have the vehicle checked out at a Ford dealership.

Coach Door Everything! This low-volume Lincoln Continental needs to inspire future Lincolns

One of the stranger vehicles that came through the press fleets last year was the 2020 Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition. And it was strange for a wide array of reasons. It’s an extremely limited-production model; Lincoln only built 150 examples, plus another 80 of the 2019 80th Anniversary Edition that first featured the same rear-hinged doors. ItÂ’s also obsolete, since Lincoln ended production of the base Continental last year. And even if Lincoln kept building Continentals, the model was effectively obsolete in a world dominated by crossovers and SUVs. Plus, as weÂ’ll touch on in a bit, its driving dynamics were rather old-school for better and worse. But after spending some time with this odd car, it became clear that Lincoln managed to make something special, and the coach doors shouldnÂ’t die with the Continental. Before we dig deep into what the car is like and the lesson Lincoln should learn from it, hereÂ’s a quick refresher. The rear-hinged Continental started with the 2019 80th Anniversary Edition as a run of 80 cars, followed by the 2020 Coach Door Edition. To give it the fancy doors, as well as the extra length they required, Lincoln partnered with Cabot Coach Builders in Massachusetts. They took a Black Label model with the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, made the body modifications, and also added a few custom interior touches. Besides those changes, itÂ’s just like any other Continental Black Label. Well that, and it costs nearly $40,000 more. LincolnContinentalCoachDoors_03_HR View 36 Photos Since nothing really changes mechanically, thereÂ’s nothing about the Coach Door EditionÂ’s driving experience that sets it apart from a similarly equipped Black Label. The 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 pulls hard all through the rev band and with no waiting. ItÂ’s a bit coarse for a luxury car engine, but the performance makes up for it. The relatively old six-speed automatic is quite smooth, though shifts are slow. Ride and handling change quite a bit depending on whether youÂ’re in the normal comfort mode or sport mode. Comfort mode does a great impression of the floaty, bobbing land yachts of the past, which is accompanied by quite a bit of body roll. Pop it into sport mode, and the body roll is significantly reduced, the steering weights up, and control is massively improved. It almost feels nimble. But the ride becomes stiff and bumpy, not something befitting a mini limo. So itÂ’s a mixed bag.

Sunday Drive: Trucks and SUVs of all shapes and sizes

The American automotive marketplace is dominated by trucks and SUVs, and so was the last week of coverage on Autoblog. By far, the most popular story of the week was our First Drive of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator. It may look like an old-school lumberer, but in reality Lincoln's flagship is a thoroughly modern, turbocharged-V6-powered, three-row, luxury people mover. The Jeep Wrangler is the world's most recognizable vehicle. So it's no surprise that the next version looks a whole heck of a lot like the last one, and the one before. It's all in the details, which is why we were so excited when Jeep decided to unleash a trio of images showing both two- and four-door Wranglers for us to dissect ahead of the SUV's official debut at the L.A. Auto Show later this year. Past that, spy photos of the next Chevy Silverado and Ram 1500 were predictably popular. See both of those below, and the cap it all off, check out the entire week's worth of SEMA coverage – including the bonkers Hennessey VelociRaptor 6x6 – in our mega image gallery at the bottom of this post. Enjoy! As always, tune in to Autoblog next week for a front-row seat to all the happenings worth following in the automotive industry. 2018 Lincoln Navigator First Drive | From black sheep to flagship 2018 Jeep Wrangler revealed: First photos released before L.A. Auto Show debut 2019 Chevy Silverado looks slim and clean beneath the camo 2019 Ram 1500 gets vertical touchscreen infotainment system 2017 SEMA Show Mega Photo Gallery Chevrolet Jeep Lincoln RAM Truck SUV recap sunday drive