Ford Issues 3 Separate Recall Actions, the Biggest of Which Concerns 465,000 Cars

The Blue Oval has been hit with three different recalls over problems with engine block heaters, missing steering gear parts and a fire risk caused by fuel delivery modules, The Detroit News reported.

The biggest recall action is for fuel tanks that may leak. It covers more than 465,000 vehicles worldwide, 390,000 of which in the United States and about 23,000 in Canada, including the 2013 Ford Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Fusion and Police Interceptor crossovers and sedans, and Lincoln MKS, MKT and MKZ models.

Read more »

Ford Hybrid Sales in the First Five Months of 2013 Beat 2010 Full-Year Record

Ford announced it has surpassed its previous full-year hybrid sales record set in 2010 of 35,496 vehicles in the first five months of 2013. Through May, Ford is projected to sell around 37,000 hybrid vehicles, accounting for an increase of around 375 percent over the same period last year. Read more »

Ford Sued Again for its Hybrids’ Economy Figures

Ford has been selling its Fusion and C-Max hybrids in the US quite soundly, despite the fact that their image suffered a mild blow after being hit with lawsuits regarding their efficiency claims, three of which were quite major.

Now, Marianne Cibeu from Massachusetts adds to that number, with a new suit asking for $5-million in damages for herself and the rest of the Ford hybrid buyers in the state.

Read more »

Ford to Beat Own Yearly Hybrid Sales Record this Month, Fusion Hybrid Outsells Camry

Despite accusations for not being honest about how efficient their hybrids really are, Ford is announcing excellent sales numbers for the first part of the year, and they expect to surpass their 2010 hybrid sales record, when they managed to shift 35,496 units, far sooner than the end of 2013. In fact, Bloomberg is reporting that it will be surpassed by the end of this month.

They say that the Blue Oval has already managed to move 29,561 hybrids through April, when 8,481 were sold, and once the results for May come in, it should be enough to beat the record.

Read more »

Ford Confirms 1.5L EcoBoost for 2014 Fusion and Mondeo, but it's a 4- and Not a 3-Cylinder Unit

Ford just announced that it will launch a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine which will power the 2014 Fusion in the U.S., among other models. Contrary to a report earlier this week from the website Fordinsidenews, the engine will not be a 3-cylinder, but a more conventional inline-four unit. Read more »

2014 Ford Fusion Allegedly Gets New 1.5-liter Three-Cylinder Turbo in North America

The team over at FordInsideNews claims to have laid its hands on the Blue Oval's 2014 Order Form. In the order guide, it is stated that the 2014 model year Fusion will gain a sixth engine for the North American market in the guise of Ford's brand-new 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol unit, which reportedly premiered on the sedan's Chinese-market sibling, the Mondeo, just last week.

No output numbers were mentioned for the North American model, but in China, Ford said this engine is projected to produce 177hp (132 kW) at 6,000 rpm and peak torque of 177 lb-ft (240Nm) from 1,500 to 4,500 rpm.

Read more »

My Selection of the Most Promising Crop of Current Models from Detroit's Big Three

The US automotive industry used to represent so much more than just the Big Three, which are no longer automakers in the romantic sense, but multinational corporations that make cars. In my view, the American automotive industry sector was at its peak in the 1930s, and then it slowly faded into a mentality of bigger is better in the 1970s. By the year 2008, the remaining three major forces admitted defeat and it was only thanks to Obama's controversial bailout scheme that they are still here today.

Now, while in the 1990s, and even up until 2008, many American cars were for the most part mediocre when compared to the standard set by the Japanese and Europeans, they now seem to be making a worthy comeback, with models which would appeal to any potential car buyer in the world as genuinely enticing propositions. However, don't mistake this for a buying guide, because it's not – it is my selection of promising American cars.

Read more »

Ford Faces Federal Class-Action Lawsuit Over C-MAX and Fusion Hybrids MPG Numbers

It was probably a matter of time before someone picked up the Consumer Reports review that accused Ford of misstating the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid fuel economy numbers and filing a lawsuit.

The publication contested the 47 mpg city/highway/combined figure and said that the two Ford hybrids had the “distinction” of recording the greatest difference between the EPA-approved mpg and the ones it achieved during its own tests.

Read more »

2013 North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists: Which Ones Do You Think Will Win?

Last year, Ford, with its Focus, was the sole U.S. manufacturer included in the final list for the North American Car and Truck of the Year award and it finished in third place, behind the VW Passat and the winner, Hyundai’s Elantra.

Even more surprising was the truck class where the Range Rover Evoque beat the Honda CR-V and the BMW X3. Where is this world coming to if U.S. manufacturers can’t build an SUV or truck to make an impression in their own market?

Read more »

EPA to Review Ford Fusion and C-MAX Hybrids After Consumer Reports’ MPG Findings

Ford has been making a lot of noise about the mileage of its Fusion and C-MAX hybrids, claiming that their 47 mpg city/highway/combined mileage easily beat rival Toyota Camry and Prius models.

When tested by Consumer Reports (CR) though, both Ford hybrids' MPGs were found overstated. Actually, that’s an understatement: the publication bashed the two Blue Oval hybrids saying that “these two vehicles have the largest discrepancy between our overall-mpg results and the estimates published by the EPA that we’ve seen among any current models.”

Ouch! That must have hurt…

Read more »

Another Recall for 2013 Ford Fusion, Second in a Week's Time!

Several thousand owners of the 2013 Ford Fusion in the States will soon receive a second recall notice from the Blue Oval, the second one in a week.

The first came on November 30 when Ford announced that 15,833 Fusion sedans powered by 1.6-liter EcoBoost engines were prone to overheating, which could cause a fire.

Read more »

Consumer Reports Slams Ford for Overstating Fusion and C-MAX Hybrids 47MPG Fuel Economy

If you've been following our news stories, you will no doubt be aware of Ford's brazen mpg claims about the Fusion Hybrid sedan and the C-Max Hybrid minivan, and how both trump Toyota models.

To remind you, Ford states that both the new 2013 Fusion Hybrid and C-Max Hybrid deliver "47 city/47 highway/47 combined mpg".

Fueled [pun intended] by the recent discovery that Hyundai and Kia overstated the gas mileage on some 900,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. in the past couple of years, Consumer Reports (CR) put Ford's mpg claims to the test, and the results were far below the 47mpg mark.

Read more »

2013 Ford Escape and Fusion Recalled Over 1.6-liter EcoBoost Engine Fire Risk

Ford has issued a voluntary recall of 73,320 2013 Escape crossovers and 15,833 Fusion sedans powered by 1.6-liter engines sold in the U.S. and Canada due to possible overheating that can cause fluids to leak, thus causing a fire.

Although the company says that there have been no reports of injuries, Ford spokesman Said Deep told The Associated Press that the company has received reports of 12 fires in Escapes and one in a Fusion. All cases involve vehicles with the 1.6-liter engine and, according to Ford, 2013 Fusion and Escape models with other engines are not affected.

Read more »

Ford Triples Number of Dealers that Can Sell EVs and Plug-In Hybrids

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a hybrid, plug-in and all-electric vehicle war raging in the U.S. new car market right now and Ford is one of the parties engaged in it.

Attacking Toyota and its Prius range claiming that its own hybrids are superior isn’t the only way the Blue Oval plans to boost the sales of its “green” fleet that by early 2013, will include the hybrid and plug-in (“Energi” in Ford-talk) versions of the C-MAX and the Fusion, and the pure-electric Focus EV.

Read more »

C&D Puts the VW Passat Against Newcomers Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima

It's the most popular passenger car segment in the U.S.A. with well over 1 million annual sales and four representatives in 2011's list of the 10 bestselling models overall, including the Toyota Camry that finished 3rd behind the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado trucks, followed by the Nissan Altima (4th overall), Ford Fusion (6th) and Honda Accord (9th).

We are talking of course about the mid-size category, which is the subject of Car & Driver's (C&D) magazine latest comparison test.

The publication took its previous winner, the North American market VW Passat (not to be confused with the Passat sold in other regions) that beat the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata, and compared it against three newcomers, the 2013 versions of the Ford Fusion (to be sold in Europe as the new Mondeo), Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.

Read more »

U Spy: Reader Spots a Bunch of Ford Prototypes Including New Ranger and Strange Mustang

Recently, CarScoop reader Anrev stumbled upon an unusually large gathering of Ford prototype models in Denver, Colorado, some of which were in full camouflage while others sported strange features that caught his, and ultimately, our attention as well.

Anrev explains what he saw and snapped with his camera:

"The Ford Test mule fleet is in Denver. Mustangs, Fusion, Fiesta, Ecosport with Japanese emblems, F150, Mondeo, Ranger and 2 other cars that are heavily padded and were covered. One was the size of the ecosport but more boxy. The other was the size of the Mustang but had a sharper nose and longer back roof line.

He continued: "The engineer that asked me to stop taking pics said they were in town for a few days. He started the Mustang while I was there and gave it a little gas. It may have SAID 5.0 on the side. But there's no way it was. Sounded like a V6."

Read more »

So, Does the New Ford Fusion / Mondeo's Snout Resemble that of the Aston Martin Rapide?

A lot has been said about the styling similarities between Ford's new corporate nose and in particular, the trapezoidal grille, and the one used by the Blue Oval's former premium brand, Aston Martin, on models like the Rapide luxury sports saloon.

Naturally, when the opportunity arose, Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire didn't miss out on the chance to park his black 2013 Ford Fusion (to be sold as the new Ford Mondeo in Europe and other regions) next to an Aston Martin Rapide in the same color and shoot a few pictures for us to compare.

Read more »

Ford Shows Four Tuned 2013 Fusion Sedans for SEMA

The Blue Oval will be visiting Las Vegas and the annual SEMA Show at the end of this month with an arsenal of customized 2013 Fusion sedans created in collaboration with a selection of tuners.

The first custom Fusion comes from 3dCarbon and it is based on the most powerful model of the series equipped with the 237hp 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine and AWD. The tune is called "Euro Series" and is said to be inspired by the "elegant, sophisticated styling of classic European sedans".

Read more »

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid to Gain More Luxurious Trimmed Titanium Edition

Starting early next year, Ford customers in the U.S. will have one more option when it comes to the new 2013 Fusion Hybrid as the Blue Oval announced the addition of a Titanium model to the range.

The Titanium edition is based on the already available Fusion Hybrid SE, which is EPA rated at 47mpg combined, adding new exterior and interior appointments.

Read more »

New Ford Fusion Hybrid Delivers 47MPG, Bests Toyota Camry Hybrid by up to 8MPG

Ford has added one more selling point to the new Fusion Hybrid that will begin arriving at dealers across the United States later this fall.

According to the Blue Oval, the hybrid variant of the Fusion (to be sold as the Mondeo in Europe) is the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan in America with an EPA-certified 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway and 47 mpg (5.0lt/100km or 56.5 mpg UK) combined fuel economy rating.

Read more »