Ford Motor Co. plans to offer a 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine with an auto start-stop option on the upcoming 2013 Ford Fusion.
The automaker said it will offer the start-stop option in the United States for $295 and the Fusion will be the first non-hybrid mid-sized sedan available with the technology.
Ford has not said how much the EcoBoost engine option will be for the Fusion.
The auto start-stop technology automatically switches off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, but restarts as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal.
Samantha Hoyt, Ford Fusion marketing manager, said in a statement that the automaker expects Fusion drivers with the option "will save about $1,100 more than other midsize sedan owners during five years of driving,"
The company said owners who spend most time in heavily congested urban areas and city traffic will benefit the most, up to 10 percent, and fuel efficiency will be improved by about 3.5 percent on average.
The 2013 Fusion, which goes on sale this fall, will get a projected 37 mpg highway with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost, Ford said.
Ford plans to produce as many as 1.5 million EcoBoost engines globally by 2013 for use in a variety of vehicles, the company said.
Ford said in January that it plans to offer EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles in 2012, up from seven in 2011. The company built 127,883 vehicles with EcoBoost engines in North America last year.
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Monday, April 02, 2012
Side Curtain Airbag Recall: 2012 Honda Accord, 2012 Honda Civic, 2012 Honda Crosstour and 2012 Acura MDX
Feb. 17, 2012 – American Honda has voluntarily expanded its January 31, 2012 recall of 347 model-year 2012 Honda Accord and Honda Crosstour vehicles in the U.S. to replace a side curtain airbag assembly to include additional Accord and Crosstour vehicles and to add certain model year 2012 Honda Civic and Acura MDX vehicles, increasing the total recall size to 974 affected vehicles. An incorrect propellant mixture was prepared when manufacturing the initiator component of the side-curtain airbag inflator. Use of the wrong initiator propellant may result in a failure of the pressurized gas that inflates the side-curtain airbag to be released from the airbag inflator, which in turn would cause non-deployment of the side curtain airbag during a crash. No crashes or injuries have been reported related to this defect, which was identified during internal production testing by a supplier.
Honda is announcing this recall to encourage owners of all affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. Mailed notification to customers will occur on February 24, 2012. In addition to contacting customers by mail, after February 24, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicles require inspection by going on-line to www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com or by calling (800) 999-1009 for Honda owners or (800) 382-2238 for Acura owners, and selecting option 4.
Honda is announcing this recall to encourage owners of all affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. Mailed notification to customers will occur on February 24, 2012. In addition to contacting customers by mail, after February 24, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicles require inspection by going on-line to www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com or by calling (800) 999-1009 for Honda owners or (800) 382-2238 for Acura owners, and selecting option 4.
Sunday, April 01, 2012
06 Ford Explorer Died and will not start
Im looking for ideas of what is wrong.
I have a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer
2006
I drove for about 10 minutes then parked for probably 2 hours or so. Then drove again for about 5 minutes and turned it off.
It started up fine each time.
There was NOTHING that would have let me know that something was going wrong.
Then I started it again and it seemed to idle very low, the inside lights worked fine, the window I could put down. I managed to drive maybe 1 minute and the it stopped. I started it again and it stopped right away. After that it would not start again.
Any ideas of what could be wrong?
I have a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer
2006
I drove for about 10 minutes then parked for probably 2 hours or so. Then drove again for about 5 minutes and turned it off.
It started up fine each time.
There was NOTHING that would have let me know that something was going wrong.
Then I started it again and it seemed to idle very low, the inside lights worked fine, the window I could put down. I managed to drive maybe 1 minute and the it stopped. I started it again and it stopped right away. After that it would not start again.
Any ideas of what could be wrong?
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Front Lower Control Arm Recall: 2006 Honda CR-V
March 23, 2012 – Honda will voluntarily recall 1,316 model-year 2006 CR-V vehicles in the United States to inspect and, if necessary, replace the right front lower control arm. Over time and with extended use, an improper welding process used when manufacturing the control arm may allow the right front lower control arm to break at the weld. If the lower control arm breaks, vehicle handling could be affected, increasing the risk of a crash. No crashes or injuries have been reported related to this issue.
Honda is announcing this recall to encourage owners of all affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. Mailed notification to customers will begin in mid-April 2012. In addition to contacting customers by mail, in mid-April, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicles require repair by going on-line to www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009, and selecting option 4.
Honda is announcing this recall to encourage owners of all affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. Mailed notification to customers will begin in mid-April 2012. In addition to contacting customers by mail, in mid-April, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicles require repair by going on-line to www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009, and selecting option 4.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Honda recalls 554,000 SUVs in U.S. over headlights
Honda Motor Co. is recalling about 554,000 sport utility vehicles in the United States to inspect for faulty wiring in headlights.
Honda said in a statement that the recall affects CR-V SUVs from model years 2002 to 2004 and Pilot SUVs from model year 2003. The Japanese automaker will inspect and replace parts of the headlight wiring system that could fail, causing the low-beam headlights not to work and increase the risk of crash.
No injuries or crashes have been reported relating to the issue, Honda said.
Letters will be mailed to affected owners in late April, but consumers can see if their vehicles require repairs by going to www.recalls.honda.com or calling 800-999-1009.
Honda said in a statement that the recall affects CR-V SUVs from model years 2002 to 2004 and Pilot SUVs from model year 2003. The Japanese automaker will inspect and replace parts of the headlight wiring system that could fail, causing the low-beam headlights not to work and increase the risk of crash.
No injuries or crashes have been reported relating to the issue, Honda said.
Letters will be mailed to affected owners in late April, but consumers can see if their vehicles require repairs by going to www.recalls.honda.com or calling 800-999-1009.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Myth Of The 3000 Mile Oil Change - How Long Do You Want Your Cars Engine To Last?
The little plastic sticker in the corner of the windshield plays on your guilt: “Next oil change,” it says, listing an odometer reading 3,000 miles higher than the last oil change. Your odometer rolled past that number 1,500 miles ago without so much as a sip of fresh oil for the engine.
Are you driving down the road to ruin? After all, the conventional wisdom says oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Then, just as you’re figuring out what your car’s tombstone should say, along comes a campaign claiming the conventional wisdom is a myth.
The campaign, “The 3,000-Mile Myth,” originated with the California Integrated Waste Management Board, a state agency charged with reducing landfill junk and pollution. In a survey, the board found that 73 percent of Californians took the conventional wisdom to heart, changing their cars’ oil most often at 3,000 miles – more frequently than their cars’ manufacturers’ recommended. Moreover, it discovered, only 60 percent of used engine oil is turned in for recycling.
The result: more oil than necessary bought and used, and more used oil going into landfills, where it could potentially contaminate water supplies. Changing motor oil less frequently saves oil, money and the environment, the board contends.
“While the old standard for oil change frequency was every 3,000 miles, advances in car engines and oils have made that obsolete,” says the campaign’s Web site, www.3000milemyth.com, where the word “debunked” greets visitors in large orange letters. “Many of today’s automakers recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,000 or even 10,000 miles.”
Word of the campaign, which is being conducted in print and on radio, has rolled across the nation. The American Automobile Association and Enterprise Rent-a-Car have signed on. But not everyone is so ready to abandon the wisdom they’ve heard their entire car-owning lives.
“Changing your oil every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first, is generally recommended,” says the American Oil Change Association, a lube industry organization. “Your car may be clean on the outside, but is it clean on the inside? The life expectancy of your car depends on your answer.”
Many factors play here. If you are a rent a car or throw it away at the end of the warranty, you don't even need to change the oil. Just keep it topped off and it will last to that point. If you are like the millions of Americans that first purchase the car with 100K and need it to last 250K+ you might want to concider better maintenance. Vehicles are not maintenance free and like anything else, the better you maintain it, the longer it will last. How Long Do You Want Your Cars Engine To Last?
Are you driving down the road to ruin? After all, the conventional wisdom says oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Then, just as you’re figuring out what your car’s tombstone should say, along comes a campaign claiming the conventional wisdom is a myth.
The campaign, “The 3,000-Mile Myth,” originated with the California Integrated Waste Management Board, a state agency charged with reducing landfill junk and pollution. In a survey, the board found that 73 percent of Californians took the conventional wisdom to heart, changing their cars’ oil most often at 3,000 miles – more frequently than their cars’ manufacturers’ recommended. Moreover, it discovered, only 60 percent of used engine oil is turned in for recycling.
The result: more oil than necessary bought and used, and more used oil going into landfills, where it could potentially contaminate water supplies. Changing motor oil less frequently saves oil, money and the environment, the board contends.
“While the old standard for oil change frequency was every 3,000 miles, advances in car engines and oils have made that obsolete,” says the campaign’s Web site, www.3000milemyth.com, where the word “debunked” greets visitors in large orange letters. “Many of today’s automakers recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,000 or even 10,000 miles.”
Word of the campaign, which is being conducted in print and on radio, has rolled across the nation. The American Automobile Association and Enterprise Rent-a-Car have signed on. But not everyone is so ready to abandon the wisdom they’ve heard their entire car-owning lives.
“Changing your oil every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first, is generally recommended,” says the American Oil Change Association, a lube industry organization. “Your car may be clean on the outside, but is it clean on the inside? The life expectancy of your car depends on your answer.”
Many factors play here. If you are a rent a car or throw it away at the end of the warranty, you don't even need to change the oil. Just keep it topped off and it will last to that point. If you are like the millions of Americans that first purchase the car with 100K and need it to last 250K+ you might want to concider better maintenance. Vehicles are not maintenance free and like anything else, the better you maintain it, the longer it will last. How Long Do You Want Your Cars Engine To Last?
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