The UAW has broken its recent pattern of adding plants to the on-strike list by walking out of the Kentucky Truck Plant at 6:30 pm today, according to CNBC. The plant makes Ford F-250 and F-350 pickups, the Expedition, and the Navigator—all heavily profitable, but not as core to the company as the F-150 would … Read more
Ford is recalling its 2023 “Super Duty” F-250 and F-350 pickups because the left rear axle shaft may break, which can cause loss of power or vehicle rollaway. The recall affects 41,555 trucks in the US. Ford is also recalling the 2023 Edge because the right-side headlight is too bright; and the 2023 Explorer because the turbo oil line may be damaged. Ah, one more Ford recall: various Ford and Lincoln vehicles from 2018 to 2023 (Navigator, Aviator, Transit, Bronco) may lose their rear view camera image.
Four different Jeeps had recalls this past week, along with the usual gathering of competitors. The most interesting competitor recall was probably a range of 2023-24 Isuzu N-Series, along with “Isuzu Chevrolet” LCF models.Over at Jeep, just 16 2023 Wranglers were affected by incorrect spare tire carriers which blocked the third brake lights. These were … Read more
Part of Stellantis’ vision for the future is to make more money from the entire lifecycle of a car, which includes older cars whose owners do not want to pay for expensive new OEM parts. The solution, announced last year as part of the “circular economy,” is both environmentally friendly and economical for owners: selling used and rebuilt parts under the B-Parts Reuse brand…
Recall Monday brings us another week of recalls. We headlined the Jeep Wagoneer recall for trim which can interfere with airbags; this should usually be a quick, simple fix for the dealers. Ford, on the other hand, went truly traditional (for Ford) with yet another rollaway recall. The 2023 Ford Bronco may have an unsecured transmission, which can prevent the Park pawl from engaging. The fix is a new transmission…
Last week was big for recalls, but somehow Stellantis brands weren’t included in any of them.
The Kia Niro and Niro PHEV (2017-22 Nero, 2018-22 PHV) could have engine compartment fires. Ford recreational vehicle chassis had instrument panel failures. GM recalled 2013 Volts, Sonics, Camaros, and Veranos because of bad airbag inflators. Lucid had three software-based recalls and the 2021-22 Jaguar I-Pace could forget to heat its coolant when the defroster was on, failing to defrost windshields. Also, while these aren’t usually covered, heavy truck makers Volvo and Mack both recalled recent vehicles due to battery short-circuits and fires, which suggests that batter problems are not unique to Jeep.
In the weirdness department, Honda had the wrong information on CR-V stickers on 2017, 2020, and 2022 models; and Kia’s electric oil pumps could cause fires (2023 Soul and Sportage, 2023-24 Seltos).
… Meanwhile, at Ford, the 2014-16 Transit Connect vans may have a crack in their front door latch Paul; a dark instrument panel on 2023 Ford F-250 through F-550 trucks and 2023 Escapes; the front windows may go one way but not the other on 2023 F-250 through F-550 trucks; and the electric parking brake may activate unexpectedly activate on 2021-23 F-150s. No other ordinary cars or trucks were recalled last week; Stellpower does not usually report on RVs or heavy trucks.
Henry Ford famously said that buyers of the Model T could have any color they wanted, as long as it was black—because black paint was cheap and (mainly) because it dried quickly.
Today, if you want a Ford Bronco, you can get white, black, gray, red, green, or blue, all free even on the base model (though there is an $1,895 charge for bringing the car to your dealership, which is $200 more than Jeep charges).
At Dodge, black is the only free color on the Hornet, whether you get a base model or an R/T Plus at over $45,000. Every other color is $495 or $595.
This week’s recall list was occupied solely by Honda and Mercedes, unless one widens their search to include medium and heavy duty trucks and buses. The most interesting of those recalls was issued by Hino, which had two recalls—one covering six trucks because the front axle U-bolts may come loose, and one (covering the same trucks) because the front axle U-bolts were not tightened properly. …
Yesterday we saw that the Challenger cruised to a victory over the Mustang in sales—but what of pickups, cars in general, and vans?
Ram sold 117,699 pickups and chassis cabs in the second quarter of 2023 (all figures are for US sales only), just about the same number they sold in the same period of 2022. Year to date, sales are down by 9%, but still come to nearly a quarter million…
The first week of June starts with a recall list dominated by Mercedes models from 2021 to 2023, as a common fuel pump could shut down and take the engine with it on a huge variety of models. This includes Sprinter and Metris vans as well as various AMG and Mercedes retail vehicles. While we’re in Germany, Porsche also reported in with recalls on a variety of 2016-2020 Macans and Panameras whose seat belt anchors may come loose; and 2022-23 911 GT3s whose dual center-mounted brake lights can both light up, confusing other drivers. (They have one in the spoiler and one in the vehicle.) Finally, BMW has some badly made chargers for the 2022-23 I4 and IX, and the 2023 760I. …
Stellantis made it through the week without any recalls, but competitors were not so lucky.There’s an old joke that the most dangerous part of the car is the loose nut behind the wheel, but 2023 Camrys (including the Camry Hybrid) actually has loose nuts holding the wheel on. Well, in any case, the wheels may … Read more
People judge brands along many dimensions—for example, Reliability, Safety, Value, Styling, Performance, and Comfort. Brands position themselves in two ways—through the product itself, and through marketing. For example, Dodge has hammered on Styling and Performance in its marketing for over ten years—and has honed its product lineup on both dimensions….
The NHTSA issued its weekly summary of recalls today.
Ford had an interesting fire recall on the 2020-23 Escape, 2022-23 Maverick, and 2021-23 Lincoln Corsair: engine failure can cause a fire. When Fords with the 2.5L HEV or PHEV engines have an engine failure, they can vent oil and fuel vapor which can be ignited by hot engine or exhaust parts, causing a fire.
This week’s list of recalls does not disappoint, with two companies having overheating batteries, Ford yet again fixing fires, and Tesla having steering wheels come off, because that’s something that still happens after over a century of cars with steering wheels.Ford’s fires affect the 2015-19 Lincoln MKC, and since it can involve fires while parked or … Read more
Ram intends to have a 500-mile EPA-estimated range on its Ram 1500 REV next year; but the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado is set to arrive this year, and its pricing has already been announced (unlike Ram’s).The 2024 Silverado EV work pickup, aimed at fleet buyers, will be able to run 450 miles on a charge, according to Automotive … Read more
