Ford announced it’s recalling almost 185,000 F-150 full-size pickups. The 2021 and 2022 model-year trucks are experiencing driveshaft problems that could cause it to fracture.
Ford is recalling nearly 185,000 F-150 pickups from the 2021 and 2022 model years.
The truck’s underbody thermal/acoustic insulators can loosen over time. If they come in contact with the truck’s aluminum driveshaft, they can cause scoring or marks. If this goes on long enough, the heat generated each time can eventually crack the driveshaft.
Potential results if the issue is not repaired
“A fractured driveshaft may result in loss of motive power,” the report states, “unintended vehicle movement while the vehicle is in park if the parking brake is not applied, and may result in secondary damage to surrounding components.”
Additionally, once fractured, the driveshaft could break loose and touch the ground, causing the driver to lose control of the pickup, potentially resulting in a crash. The company is unaware of any accidents or injuries caused by the problem.
Some Ford F-150 pickups are facing issues with the aluminum driveshaft on the truck.
Owners are advised to look for a “loose underbody insulator.” They should also listen for a rattling, clicking or clunking noise due to the loose insulator coming in contact with the driveshaft. The scoring or marking on the driveshaft described earlier may also be visible.
Next steps
Ford’s taken steps to resolve the problem during production by swapping the underbody thermal acoustic insulator for an under-carpet thermal patch at the two plants — Dearborn (MI) Truck and Kansas City (KS) Assembly — already.
Dealers received the notice Tuesday, and owners will begin receiving notices in the mail shortly. They will be instructed to make an appointment with their dealer to have “positive attachment features adde to the underbody insulators.”
They’ll also inspect the driveshaft for scoring or marks that may have already occurred. This will be done at no expense to the truck owner.
As of Dec. 7, Ford received 27 reports of fractured aluminum driveshafts possibly related to sagging underbody insulators on the F-150s, the automaker said in an Automotive News report.
Charging is key to the transition to electric vehicles and while more chargers are one the way, Ford Motor Co. is launching a new program to ensure the juice needed to run an EV does not contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases.
Ford’s program can be used by current owners of the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit and Escape PHEV.
With help of one auto industry’s traditional foes, the California Air Resource Board, Ford is beginning what it describes as a “sustainable charging program,” which allows owners of plug-in electric vehicles in California to opt for only carbon-neutral charging at home.
“Ford’s electric vehicle customers are beginning to realize all the possibilities associated with their vehicles and sustainable energy management,” said Matt Stover, director of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Co.
“By working with regulators, utilities and customers for home integration services, we’re enabling EV drivers to lower their carbon footprints, potentially save money and help protect the grid, all through their smartphones.”
California-based owners of all current Ford all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including the Mustang Mach-E, the E-Transit and the Escape PHEV, plus the F-150 Lightning coming in 2022, are eligible for the program.
Only green energy wanted
The idea is to only use electricity made with renewable sources rather than oil, gas or coal, reducing the carbon footprint of the energy used to power the vehicles.
Ford plans to participate in CARB’s “Low Carbon Fuel Standard,” which will offer customers a new way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change by matching the use of electricity used to charge plug-in electric vehicles at home with 100% local renewable energy, the automaker said.
CARB, which has control of air quality standards throughout California, has long warred with automakers about emissions. Significant health concerns, created by automotive-related air pollution in Southern California, have given CARB enormous influence over emission standards not only across California but also across the United States.
Once enrolled, the FordPass app automatically tracks the amount of electricity used while charging at home. Ford generates, or buys, an equivalent amount of California-sourced Renewable Energy Certificates, an EPA-recognized program that records the generation and usage of green energy.
Ford then sends evidence of the matching amounts to CARB, ensuring that all home plug-in charging activity is matched with zero-carbon electricity.
Ford is investing more than $30 billion in electric vehicles and batteries through 2025. The push supports the company’s longer-term goal of creating a sustainable American manufacturing ecosystem, and to accelerate its progress towards achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2050. Overall, Ford expects 40% to 50% of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030.
Automakers are still grappling with the chip shortage, cutting production time down and giving up on getting those vehicles back this year — however, not all the closures are semiconductor related.
Ford plans to resume production at its Flat Rock, Michigan plant Sept. 20.
Ford Motor Co. plans to resume production Sept. 20 at an assembly plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, which closed earlier this month after a leak of toxic material into the local sewer system forced hundreds of residents from their homes near the plant.
Ford confirmed by e-mail the company agreed to pay each owner of the 1,100 homes impacted by the spill $500 to cover expenses incurred when they had to leave their homes near the plant south of Detroit. The Flat Rock plant currently builds the Ford Mustang is the only Ford plant building traditional passenger cars.
GM extends shutdown at Orion
General Motors, meanwhile, said it is extending the shutdown of its assembly plant in Orion Township, north of Detroit, where it assembles the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt through Oct. 15. GM originally closed the Orion plant at the end of August after expanding the recall of the Bolt due to potential battery fires.
GM has now targeted 140,000 Bolts, including the latest models, for recall, which could involve replacing the battery packs. The extension of the layoffs at the Orion plant indicates GM and its South Korean partner, LG Energy, which manufactured the battery, have not yet come up with a satisfactory fix for curing the defect in the batteries.
GM extended the production shutdown of the Chevy Bolt while it continues to work with LG Energy to resolve the car’s battery problems.
GM also extended the shutdowns at two Lansing, Michigan plants, the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario and two plants in Mexico — Ramos Arizpe and San Luis Potosi — due to the continuing shortage of semiconductors. The Lansing plants will be down the week of Sept. 27 while the other plants will stay shuttered through the week of Oct. 11, GM said.
“These most recent scheduling adjustments are being driven by the continued parts shortages caused by semiconductor supply constraints from international markets experiencing COVID-related restrictions,” said David Barnas, GM spokesman, in an email to TheDetroitBureau.com.
“We remain confident in our team’s ability to continue finding creative solutions to minimize the impact on our highest-demand and capacity constrained vehicles. Although the situation remains complex and very fluid, GM continues to prioritize full-size truck production which remains in high demand.”
The tights supply of semiconductors, which has prevailed all year, also prompted Stellantis to extend the shutdown of its plant in Belvedere, Illinois, which is used to build the Jeep Cherokee.
General Motors extending the shutdown of its two Lansing, Michigan plants through the week of Sept. 27.
IHS cuts outlook for future production
IHS Markit said this week it was cutting its global light vehicle production schedule forecast by 6.2% or 5.02 million units in 2021. In an indication it expects shortages to continue, IHS also said it was reducing its forecast for 2022 by 9.3% or 8.45 million units in 2022.
“For 2023 we have reduced the forecast by 1.05M units or 1.1% to 92M units; this is a front-loaded adjustment and from the second quarter we expect output levels will be able to accelerate as supply chains return to normal,” IHS said in a statement.
Stellantis still faces strike threat
Stellantis also is continuing to face pressure from a strike at an axle plant operated by ZF, which supplies axles for Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs. The issues around the strike at the plant in Marysville, Michigan have not been resolved, United Auto Workers officials said.
The strike over union recognition has left unionized portion operating more or less normally under an existing labor pact. However, workers seeking to have the UAW recognized as there bargaining agent have set up picket lines at the new plant, which was set up after ZF bought out an existing operation — and labor contract — from Fiat Chrysler.
Some Bronco fans thought the Jeep Wrangler wasn’t the only vehicle Ford would take on with the new Bronco. Upon its return, Ford officials said Bronco would be a “family” of vehicles, leading to plenty of speculation about what that could mean.
The Bronco and Bronco Sport are just the beginning of a “family” of vehicles, Ford officials said when they debuted.
Apparently, it no longer means a truck to compete with the Jeep Gladiator. The original Bronco from the late ’60s did come with a pickup option, but the new models will not, according to Automotive News. The publication cited two sources “knowledgeable about the decision.”
Ford typically doesn’t comment on future products, but spokesman Mike Levine told Automotive News “we continue to see strong demand for our full portfolio of rugged trucks and SUVs, including our Bronco-brand utilities and our best-selling Ford truck line-up.”
The plans reportedly called for a pickup model to arrive as a 2024 model, built at Wayne (MI) Truck Plant where the Bronco and Ford Ranger midsize pickup are currently produced. Ford officials never formally confirmed the existence of a pickup truck.
A family of vehicles
For now anyway, anyone wanting a Bronco pickup is going to have shop the used market for this 1966 Bronco.
When the Bronco and Bronco Sport were introduced in July 2020, Ford officials noted there were plans for additional vehicles beyond the two- and four-door Bronco and Bronco Sport — a family. Details weren’t provided but there has been plenty of speculation about what it could mean.
At the time, officials suggested they would always sport Ford’s “Blue Oval” badge, but the automaker would push Bronco as its own unique brand. Mark Grueber, the Bronco marketing chief, told TheDetroitBureau.com back then one of its hallmarks will be that every vehicle will be equipped with all-wheel drive, something it believes will give Bronco a leg up on competitors like Jeep and Land Rover.
Naturally, fans were left to explore what that could mean in terms of actual products. Part of that including the now-dead pickup as well as a variety of performance variants, including the Warthog or Raptor (both names have bandied about for the same vehicle), which is akin to the Raptor line-up for the automaker’s F-Series pickups.
The Bronco Type R racer clearly hints at what a Raptor might look like — albeit without the tube frame.
The company produced a Baja-style model, dubbed the Bronco Type R, that raced in Mexico. That version, if it comes to life, may be called the Wildtrack. Then, there’s the potential for an EV model. Ford’s massively invested in battery electrics to the tune of at least $22 billion. Further, Ford CEO Jim Farley added a little gas to that fire in May via Twitter.
When asked by a Tesla fan on Twitter about why there isn’t an electric version of more new products coming out, specifically the Bronco, Farley’s response was “Why do you think we dont?”
Former CEO Jim Hackett confirmed in 2018 that a Bronco hybrid was also coming.
A plug-in would allow Ford to take direct aim against Bronco’s key rival, the Jeep Wrangler. A PHEV model — the Wrangler 4xe — went on sale last month. It can run 21 miles in all-electric mode, according to the EPA, while Jeep noted the 4xe can operate for at least three hours on batteries alone while off-roading.
“I would be shocked” if Ford didn’t electrify the Bronco, Sam Abuelsamid, principal auto analyst for Guidehouse Insights in Chicago told TheDetroitBureau.com in May.
Everyone wanting to buy a sport-utility vehicle didn’t really happen until Ford brought out the Explorer way back in the 1990s. Now, SUVs are the dominant choice of American new vehicle buyers and every automaker has not just one, but several options.
Often the leader early in the race is the rabbit, falling off the pace after the competition catches up. Not so with the Explorer, it’s still hanging with the lead pack.
The current iteration of the Explorer is stylish, but not overt or garish. If you were looking for a happy middle ground between the Range Rover Velar and the Dodge Durango, the 2021 Explorer is what you’d get. Simple, clean and polished.
For GREAT deals on a new or used Toyota check out Mike Kelly Toyota TODAY!
The new GT version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E will deliver substantially better range than the automaker originally estimated — the EPA rating the high-performance package at up to 270 miles per charge.
Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is one amongst a wave of new EV products coming to market.
That’s 20 miles more than what Ford initially claimed for the Mach-E GT. Meanwhile, the Mach-E GT Performance Edition will deliver 260 miles per charge, up from Ford’s original estimate of 235 miles.
“We already pushed the envelope by creating an electric vehicle with the pony badge, so it’s only natural that we push it even further,” said Darren Palmer, Ford’s global director for battery electric vehicles. “Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition not only gives you the added performance you expect from the GT name, but accentuates the thrill with the responsiveness of an all-electric powertrain.”
Charging up the market
The 2021 Mustang Mach-E GT gets 270 miles on a full charge, better than the previously expected 250 miles.
The electric “pony car” received something of a mixed response when Ford first unveiled it in November 2019 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Some traditional fans lamented the idea of going electric, others disturbed to see an SUV wearing the familiar Mustang badge. But since the base and mid-range models went on sale late last year, the Mustang Mach-E has scored a solid hit. It has taken market share away from Tesla and helped power the 95% jump in overall U.S. sales of plug-based vehicles during the first four months of 2021.
Several factors have played out for Ford. Despite the concern of traditionalists, the crossover design comes at a time when SUVs have come to dominate the American market. And the initial models have come in with some of the best range numbers of any new battery-electric models. Depending upon the trim level and battery pack, the original front- and all-wheel drive Mach-E models delivered EPA numbers of 211 to 305 miles per charge.
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition is expected to arrive sometime this fall.
The new GT models don’t quite match what the Tesla Model Y Performance model delivers, at 303 miles, but they remain contenders in the emerging electric muscle car segment.
The “standard” GT, meanwhile, punches out 480 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. The Performance Edition bumps the torque number up to 634 lb-ft, enough, Ford says, to launch from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. The special edition gets some additional help from stock Pirelli summer tires, the stock GT coming with all-season rubber.
Going head-to-head with Tesla
That’s about the same as the Tesla crossover with its performance package making 456 hp and 497 lb-ft of torque. Preliminary reviews have also faulted some aspects of the Tesla crossover’s handling. Initial reviews of the Mustang GT and GT Performance Edition are not yet available.
The GT will start at $61,000, the Performance Edition at $66,000. Those figures don’t factor in the current $7,500 in federal tax credits, nor do they include delivery fees and taxes.
Most automakers posting May sales results enjoyed massive upticks compared to their year-ago results — except Ford Motor Co.
The Bronco Sport helped the company’s portfolio of SUVs keep its sales numbers positive in May.
Ford saw sales rise just 4.1% as inventories on its highly profitable trucks were very low, while Hyundai, Honda and others revealed triple-digit jumps for some vehicles and double-digit overall increases. No automaker has seemingly been hurt by the ongoing semiconductor shortage like Ford.
In fact, its retail sales results — excluding its fleet sales — were down 11.2% in May, a reflection of just how much Ford dealers are struggling to meet demand for the brand’s F-Series pickups. To be fair, CEO Jim Farley has repeatedly warned the second quarter would be the company’s worst due to the chip issue.
“Ford sales were up 4.1% on tight inventories, while year-to-date sales increased 11.3 percent,” said Andrew Frick, vice president, Ford Sales U.S. and Canada, in a statement. “Ford and its dealers are working harder than ever to match the right mix of inventory to best meet the needs of our customers at the local level.
“We have been receiving a massive number of reservations for our all-electric F-150 Lightning over the last two weeks — totaling over 70,000 trucks. Ford brand SUVs had their best May sales in 18 years, while Lincoln SUVs posted a new May record.”
SUVs carrying the company
Lincoln’s SUV, including the all-new Corsair, posted their best May since 2003.
The travails of truck inventories are well known. Fortunately, the company’s SUVs picked up the sales slack in May showing a 48.6% increase in total sales compared to last May and 27.9% on the retail level — again hurt by the chip problem.
Despite that difference, it was the company’s best May sales result for SUVs at the retail level since 2003. Ford brand SUVs were up 51.8% over a year ago on new product introductions of Bronco Sport and Mustang Mach-E, along with the continued momentum of Escape, Explorer and Expedition.
The Bronco Sport and Escape performed well in the highly competitive small SUV segment, officials noted. Ford’s May retail share is up almost 4 full percentage points in the small SUV segment, with sales of both Bronco Sport and Escape expanding their sales within two very different customer groups. Escape sales were up 51.4%, while the majority of Bronco Sport customers are coming from outside the Ford brand.
Lincoln SUVs did the Ford offerings one better, producing a record result last month. Lincoln SUV sales were up across the entire lineup in May with a total of 7,871 SUVs sold – up 24.3 percent. Perhaps just as impressively, the entire brand was up 5% and is up 15.3% for the year thus far. Those numbers are impacted by the massive drop in MKZ and Continental sales, which are no longer produced and dealers are trying to clear out remaining inventory.
The Mustang Mach-E is part of the reason why the company’s electrified vehicle sales were up 184% last month.
EVs going crazy
A Mustang Mach-E sits for just 10 days once it gets to a dealer and many are selling upon arrival. Mach-E sales totaled 1,945 in May, and 10,510 year-to-date.
The Mustang Mach-E is performing so well, the company is building more Mach-E’s than the original gas-powered pony car, according to Bloomberg. Ford’s plant in Mexico has produced 27,816 electric Mustang Mach-E models in 2021 while the Flat Rock, Michigan facility building the Mustang has churned out 26,089 vehicles, according to production data the automaker released Thursday.
Erich Merkle, Ford’s sales analyst, told Bloomberg that Mustang production in Flat Rock has been hampered by the chip shortage. However, Farley told a group of journalists after the introduction of the F-150 Lightning the Mach-E is outperforming expectations and its completely sold out of its initial production run.
Strong Mach-E sales doesn’t mean that the Mustang has suffered. The all-new Mustang Mach 1 helped lift performance Mustang sales to more than 13% of retail sales, compared to 10% last year, the news agency noted.
Overall, Ford electrified vehicle sales skyrocketed 184% last month, some of which was driven by the aforementioned Mach-E, but it wasn’t alone, officials noted. F-150 PowerBoost totaled 2,852 for the month, Escape electrified sales totaled 3,617 – up 125% over last year. Explorer Hybrid sales also had a big increase of 132% compared with a year ago on sales of 1,156 SUVs. The future looks bright on that front as well. The previously mentioned F-150 Lightning secured more than 70,000 deposits since its debut about two weeks ago.
