Ford Will Recall Almost 10,000 Cars in the USA

Ford has announced two separate recalls in the USA, targeting almost 10,000 cars.

The first of them is aimed at specific Ford models made between January 11, 2012, and October 14, 2013, and affects around 9,017 cars, Autoblog reports.

This recall targets the engine wiring harness of certain Escape and Focus ST cars, which may not have enough compression on the wires in the loom. In extreme cases, the absolute pressure sensor in the intake manifold could send wrong signals to the ECU and make the engine stall, or reduce its power. Other potential effects include the illumination of the engine malfunction light in the dash or hesitation on acceleration.

Ford will contact the owners of the affected vehicles and the recall will begin on January 4, 2016. So far, no accidents related to this issue have been reported. Dealers have been instructed to replace the wiring harnesses on those cars.

This isn’t the first wiring recall for the Ford Focus ST in the USA, nor for the Ford Escape. Around 160,000 vehicles were recalled starting October 2014 for a similar issue. Some of the cars were sold in Canada and Mexico, and those were recalled as well.

According to a story from Automotive News, this is the eleventh time the MY 2013 Ford Escape is called back to dealers. A Ford spokesperson revealed to the publication that no single Escape is affected by all the 11 recalls mentioned.

The second callback issued by the Blue Oval is aimed at only 868 vehicles but affects more models. This particular action targets the 2013 Model Year of the Ford Explorer, Taurus, Taurus Police Interceptor, Explorer Police Utility, Flex, Lincoln MKT, and Lincoln MKS.

The owners of the affected cars will be contacted by Ford dealers to schedule a service appointment to replace some parts of the fuel delivery system. The company has done some research and discovered that the fuel delivery module could crack in a worst case scenario.

Ford Wants To Develop Its Own Battery Chemistries For Hybrids, Electric Cars, But Why?

When it announced a range increase for its 2017 Focus Electric earlier this month, Ford executives also revealed an intriguing snippet about the company's battery plans.

The company is conducting its own research into fundamental battery chemistries, and could develop its own cells for use in future electrified vehicles.

The question then becomes: Why?

DON'T MISS: Updated 2017 Ford Focus Electric: 100-Mile Range, DC Fast Charging

Other makers of electrified vehicles, including General Motors, VW, and BMW, have outsourced cell development to suppliers, albeit working closely with them. Today's Focus Electric uses LG Chem cells similar to those in the Chevy Volt.

The term "electrified" vehicles include not only battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, but also conventional hybrids and even 48-Volt "hybrids"--effectively powerful start-stop systems with more features.

Ford will invest $4.5 billion into electrification R&D, and add 13 new "EV" vehicle nameplates while expanding its electrified offerings into Taiwan, South Korea, and China.

2016 Ford Focus Electric2016 Ford Focus Electric
Of those 13, analysts suggest, one might be a new battery-electric model, two to four might be plug-in hybrids, and the balance could be split among conventional hybrids and cars with 48-Volt systems.

The news that Ford is developing its own cell chemistries was detailed in a blog post by Navigant Research after Ford's announcement.

Navigant noted that researchers at the University of Michigan Battery Lab, which was partially funded by Ford, are now producing prototype cells using chemistries developed by Ford.

ALSO SEE: Why The 2010 Toyota Prius Doesn't Have A Lithium-Ion Battery

The company also refurbished its historic 1923 Ford Engineering Laboratory to be the home of its consolidated and expanded electrified powertrain development efforts.

“Batteries are the life force of any electric vehicle," said Kevin Layden, director of Ford Electrification Programs, "and we have been committed to growing our leadership in battery research and development for more than 15 years."

Ford doesn't expect to undertake full-scale cell manufacturing itself; it will use suppliers for that task.

2012 Ford Focus Electric launch, New York City, January 2011 - battery pack in load bay2012 Ford Focus Electric launch, New York City, January 2011 - battery pack in load bay
But, Layden said, the company believes that owning the intellectual property of cell chemistries will be critical to future success.

There are arguments both ways on that score.

Electric-car startup Tesla Motors has worked closely with Panasonic on unique versions of that company's 18650 small commodity cell for its Model S, but the modifications appear to be more to packaging and mechanical elements than the chemistry itself.

On the other hand, Toyota notably failed to produce its own lithium-ion cell for the 2010 Prius hybrid, as managing officer Koei Saga admitted that year.

The third-generation Prius was intended to launch with a lithium-ion chemistry based on a nickel electrode.

The 2010 Toyota PriusThe 2010 Toyota Prius
While the company's choice had a low materials costs, its production process was extremely complicated--raising the overall cost to the point that the cells couldn't be produced economically.

For the first-generation Leaf, Nissan set up a joint venture with computer giant NEC to create energy cells for its high-volume electric car.

That company, Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), has produced all the cells for the 200,000 or so Nissan Leafs made over five years.

Nissan had long and deep experience in lithium-ion cells, having worked on them in-house since 1992 and produced a number of prototype electric cars since then.

But industry rumors suggest that new-generation lithium-ion cells from Korean supplier LG Chem turn out to be cheaper and more energy-dense than comparable cells from AESC.

Nissan lithium-ion cell fabrication & battery pack assembly at Nissan plant in Smyrna, TennesseeNissan lithium-ion cell fabrication & battery pack assembly at Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tennessee
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has hinted that the company may switch suppliers for the second-generation Leaf, expected as a 2017 or 2018 model.

The lines among fundamental cell chemistry, cell fabrication, and battery-pack production can blur, and most automakers now have large battery labs testing dozens of automotive cells for future electrified vehicles.

Still, Ford would be unusual if it developed its own core battery chemistries.

And it poses a question: What does Ford believe it can bring to the table that various billion-dollar battery companies can't?

CEO Mark Fields: Ford Will Have Hybrid F-150 by 2020

NPR isn’t a place where automotive news is often made or announced, but during an interview with All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro, Ford CEO Mark Fields reminded us that Ford is planning to build a hybrid F-series pickup within the next four years. While this is being reported as news by many outlets, it’s not really news; it was announced back in 2013 when Ford and Toyota decided to dissolve a collaboration on the rear-wheel-drive hybrid systems that would power such trucks and SUVs.

The sound bite that has everyone all excited arose while Shapiro and Fields discussed Ford’s $4.5 billion investment in electrified vehicles, and how Ford will address the disparity between the relatively small number of electrified cars Ford currently sells and the massive number of F-series pickups the company churns out. When pressed by Shapiro about whether Ford would ever build an electric pickup, Fields said, “We do have plans to have a rear-wheel-drive hybrid truck by the end of the decade. So yes, we’re working on electrified F-series, and it’s really around a conventional hybrid.”

Unfortunately, Fields provided no further details, such as what gas engine the trucks will use (we expect it would use one of Ford’s turbocharged four-cylinder or V-6 engines), what sort of fuel-economy gains Ford is looking to achieve with the hybrid, and whether or not the hybrid will be of the plug-in variety, although Fields’ characterization of it as a “conventional hybrid” suggests it won’t. We will also be keen to learn if the new hybrid haulers will be significantly compromised in terms of cargo hauling, towing capability, or passenger space.


Turns out there’s a whole lotta room for batteries in a full-size SUV.
While Fields himself made no real news, we nonetheless took this occasion to check in with Ford on the status of the program. And while Ford product communications manager Said Deep declined to disclose the above details, he reiterated Ford’s commitment that the new hybrid system “will deliver the capability truck and SUV customers demand while providing greater fuel economy.” He also said that Ford has been on a veritable patent spree. “Today we hold about 150 patents on our rear-wheel-drive system and another 230 more patents are pending.” Some of those may be among the 400 or so patents Ford has made available to license to other automakers starting last May.


Ford’s won’t be the first hybrid pickups and SUVs the world has ever seen, of course. GM sold hybrid versions of the previous-generation Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon/Cadillac Escalade starting in 2008. In the end, the GM trucks were phased out due to low demand, go figure. It will be interesting to see how Ford’s F-series hybrid will fare in this more electric-friendly world.

Is a 247-hp Ford Fiesta RS Still on the Way? The Rumors Persist

Even in the absence of official confirmation or indicators to the affirmative, rumors that Ford will build a high-output Fiesta RS hot hatch refuse to die. We’ve spied prototypes that look like the future Fiesta RS, turned our artists loose to render what the hot Fiesta might look like, and now AutoBild is speculating that Ford Performance could be on the cusp of delivering just such a model to top off the mostly pedestrian Fiesta range.

We’ve been bugging Ford for more than a year as to whether the company will follow up its scorchingly anticipated, 350-hp Focus RS with something smaller but just as bonkers. No dice from our end, but AutoBild seems fairly sure that a Fiesta RS will happen and that it will pack 247 horsepower from a modified 1.6-liter turbo four and make do with front-wheel drive. This makes sense; while 247 ponies is strong for something the Fiesta’s size, it isn’t so mind-blowing as to justify the added weight, cost, and complexity of all-wheel-drive hardware. For reference, the front-drive Fiesta ST, which sits one rung down on Ford’s performance scale from RS, has a 197-hp 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.

If the car does come to fruition, do Fiesta volumes in the U.S. justify bringing the RS here? We’re not sure, so we could be left standing on the shore of the Atlantic, watching from afar as Europe is given yet another incredible hot hatch. If that hypothetical leaves you feeling down, remember that we are getting the Focus RS very, very soon.