Roughly 100,000 Ford and Mercury minivans might be added to a recall announced earlier this year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) is watching vehicles sold outside states included in the initial recall.

The campaign targeted about 230,000 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey North American minivans in March because rust in the wheel wells can let the third-row seats come loose. The affected vans range from the 2004 to 2007 model year and were sold in cold-weather states where road salt is used.

SEE ALSO: Ford Recalling 230,000 Minivans

NHTSA said problems are rare and is only aware of one problem reported by an owner outside the area affected by the recall. The investigation is closed, but owners not covered by the recall may still contact Ford for repairs if their van shows signs of rust.

The rusting area can weaken the mounting brackets that attach the seats to the floor. A new bracket will be installed away from the rusting area and a panel will be installed to prevent further water entry on affected units.

What’s the most important step a manufacturer undertakes when creating a new car? Building a great chassis? Getting the interior ergonomics right? Providing the perfect drivetrain to complement the new product? Nope. All wrong. The really, really important factor for any new car is getting the name right.

All joking aside, a vehicle’s name is very important. Slap a clever name on a car and it can help boost sales. Conversely, choose a bad name for a vehicle, like Probe or Dictator, and it can hurt sales. Manufacturers spend a lot of time and money analyzing potential model names.

Well, that’s usually what happens, but sometimes, the creativity well runs dry. Every now and then a new vehicle receives a name that leaves us all wondering: “Really? That’s all they could think of?” Not to get confused with naming conventions that are just lazy, like Mazda’s numbered sequence or Mercedes-Benz’s lettered sequence. No, we are referring to model names that give the perception maybe the marketing team forgot to show up one day and the engineers were left in charge of naming the new ride. “We are pleased to announce the latest from Hyonbaru Motors, ‘The Car!” Don’t laugh, some the following models are even worse.

Over 1.5 million Ford SUVs have been cleared in a government probe that examined allegations they were at risk of rolling away.

The four-year probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) looked into the 2002-2005 Ford Explorer, 2002-2005 Mercury Mountaineer, and the 2003-2005 Lincoln Aviator after 180 complaints were received by NHTSA. No recall will be issued after NHTSA found that the failure rate was 4.4 per 100,000 vehicles for a suspected defect involving the automatic transmission parking system, and 3.4 per 100,000 vehicles for a suspected defect involving the brake shift interlocking system.

Of those 180 complaints, 14 reports of crashes were reported with six injuries – all of which were minor. According to NHTSA, there was a drastically declining trend with very few incidents occurring in recent years.

The primary issue in the probe was whether the brake-shift interlock was working properly. In its closing report, NHTSA stated that it could be defeated if drivers shifted within 0.4 seconds of when the brakes were applied because of a production change in the 2002 model year. The condition would worsen if drivers continued to shift quickly and eventually they would not be able to shift into park at all.

Discuss this story at FordInsideNews.com

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation on February 21 that affects almost 725,000 vehicles from Ford and Mercury.

Affected vehicles include the Ford Escape and Fusion as well as the Mercury Mariner and Milan. The investigation centers around an issue with the throttle body in those cars that, according to NHTSA documents, has been reported to cause engine stalling and surging.

Error codes in the described vehicles suggest that the throttle body is either stuck open or closed. The NHTSA office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 123 complaints so far while Ford reports receiving 1,472.

A faulty circuit board seems to be the cause of the problem because they could lead to “a lack of continuity in the throttle position sensor circuit.”

Model years affected include the 2009 to 2010 Escape and Escape Hybrid as well as the Mercury Mariner and Mariner Hybrid, the 2010 and 2011 Fusion and Mercury Milan.

 Discuss this story at FordFusionClub.com

It’s 2013, but stereotypes of American vehicles from the ‘70s still linger in the automotive industry, with buyers wondering if domestic cars can ever be as reliable as imports.

Over the past six years, annual report cards from Consumer Reports indicate that domestic automakers are sitting among the bottom of the pack in terms of reliability and satisfaction ratings. Out of a score of 100, the big three domestic automakers average a score of just 55.7. Individually, Ford ranks the highest, with an unimpressive average score of 63.1 over the same time period, with GM averaging 56.1 and Chrysler averaging a simply abysmal 48.

J.D. Power also shows that a number of domestic automakers have below the industry average numbers in regards to problems per 100 vehicles. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram are the worst according to the 2012 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability study, with GMC and Chevrolet also performing below the industry average.

Additionally, cars from these manufacturers don’t get the nod from Consumer Reports, with the percentage of recommended vehicles per year often dipping below 50%. It’s a little worrying when Chrysler as a whole, had 0 cars recommended in 2009.

TOTAL RECALLS

One important factor in looking at the reliability of these cars comes with the amount of recalls that are issued. For example, Ford announced serious recalls for the latest models of the Ford Escape and Fusion, two all-new vehicles in highly competitive markets. The compact Chevrolet Cruze also had a worrying fire-related recall, which affected every single model sold. Missteps like these seem to be common for domestic automakers.

“It just shows that many of the domestic automakers have teething issues with their new products,” says Anita Lam, chief automotive statistician at Consumer Reports. Lam points out that these domestic automakers tend to have issues early in a new car’s lifetime, which then get fixed in the following updates. “The product then gets to a good point of reliability,” says Lam, but it’s a vicious cycle as they then have to, “undergo a redesign or add better performance, and the reliability dips again.”

Lam explains that these issues aren’t the only sore spot with domestic automakers. Consumer Reports finds significant issues in regards to build quality. “We saw significant gaps and problems with door alignment during testing,” she says. This lines up well with what J.D. Power reports in its annual Quality Ratings by brands with domestic automakers like Dodge and Ford having the lowest possible ratings in overall quality.

There also seems to be a bit of an issue when an automaker tries to jump ahead. Lam points to new technology like MyFord Touch, which is cool, but riddled with bugs, usability issues and required updates which tarnish the lustre of high-tech innovation.

The same can be said about Ford’s PowerShift transmission, which introduced dual-clutch technology to its economy cars. However, performance and reliability was far below expectations, and Ford’s reliability ratings suffered.

DOMESTIC BASHING: JUST A FAD?

Not everyone shares the viewpoint offered by Consumer Reports and J.D. Power. Karl Brauer of Total Car Score, seems to hint that the domestic-bashing is a bit of a fad, with no real basis today.

“It really started in the early 1970s,” explains Brauer. “Build quality (along with fuel efficiency and even styling) for domestic cars suddenly couldn’t compete with the rush of Japanese (and to a less extent, Europeans) cars entering the U.S. market,” he says.

SEE ALSO: Are German Cars Reliable? The Myth of “German Engineering”

Looking at the scores of domestic vehicles on Total Car Score, there doesn’t seem to be any hint that domestic vehicles are unsatisfactory, prone to break-downs or terrible to drive. Looking at the site’s ratings of the latest compacts, the Buick Verano tops the list with a score that ekes out the Subaru Impreza and Volkswagen Golf. Looking further down the list and other American products like the Chevy Cruze, Dodge Dart and Ford Focus stand out above imports like the Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte and Mitsubishi Lancer. With these ranking in mind, Brauer argues that past mishaps from domestic automakers are still fresh in the minds of buyers.

“The oil embargo and resulting fuel price spikes of 1973 really highlighted the gas guzzling nature of big American cars while giving the smaller Japanese cars a sudden advantage because of their fuel efficiency,” Brauer states. “Since that time, the Japanese have continued to sell highly fuel efficient and well built cars in the U.S. (with a few notable exceptions), while the U.S. automakers have had to play catch up in both areas.”

Brauer points to the SUV craze of the 1990s and 2000s. He argues that back then, the domestic automakers ceded the car market to the imports in an effort to nab more profit margins by selling more trucks and SUVs. However, when gas prices spiked again in 2005, no buyers were interested in fuel hungry SUVs and the popular domestic vehicles were left behind. The smaller cars that domestic automakers rushed out to meet the demands of consumers were not as well built as the competition from imports. Domestic vehicles from that that time were certainly behind the market leaders from Japanese automakers.

Brauer also argues that recalls aren’t that significant in the grand scheme of things.

“The all-new Ford Fusion is an excellent car overall, though it did have some recalls during launch that reflect a need for Ford to further improve its QA process for all-new cars,” he says. “The same situation existed for the new Ford Escape. It’s a great crossover in general, but it had too many recalls during launch.”

“In the long run these recalls don’t matter nearly as much as the vehicle’s styling, handling, fuel efficiency and price/value equation, so those two models should still prove to be a great sellers for Ford,” he says.

Still, there’s no question that domestic automakers like Ford are still playing catch-up. “To be on par with the Japanese, Korean and European automakers they shouldn’t have had so many recalls on two very important all-new models.” explains Brauer.

However, if the numbers of recalls indicate an automaker’s quality and reliability, the import market isn’t immune to large scale recalls.

This year Toyota topped the number of recalled vehicles in the US, making it three years out of the past four that Toyota took the top spot in this shameful ranking. It’s also worth noting that the automaker sitting in second place is (the usually regarded as reliable) Honda. Even with the high number of recalls, these two automakers are regularly regarded as having top reliability scores, meaning that they aren’t as big of an issue in the long run.

SEE ALSO: Toyota Lead Number of Recalled Vehicles in 2012

Following the two big Japanese automakers is GM, Ford and Chrysler, with Ford being recognized as having the most recall campaigns this year.

THE AMERICAN COMEBACK STORY

Consumer Reports’ Lam explains that there is a bright spot when it comes to domestic automakers. “We also conduct owner’s satisfaction surveys, which indicate that buyers don’t seem to care who makes the car, as long as it meets their expectations.”

One market-segment that sees a lot of positive results is the green car segment. “Chevrolet Volt owners, for example, love their car,” she says. “Ninety-two percent of them would buy another one.”

She also explains that gas-guzzling V8 muscle cars and performance cars, like the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300C and Chevrolet Corvette get above average satisfaction marks from owners. “There are expectations of performance, and these cars really come through,” she says.

Brauer agrees that the work domestic automakers are putting in on alternative fuel technology is paying off, remarking on the Chevy Volt, upcoming Cadillac ELR, Ford C-Max as well as the Fusion Hybrid and Energi vehicles. “It seems like the domestics understand not only the need for good current product but constant innovation on future product,” Brauer says.

Other areas of technology are also being looked at more critically by the automaker. “The work we’re already seeing from Cadillac’s CUE system, Ford’s Sync and Chrysler’s Uconnect Access suggests they understand this important area and won’t let themselves fall behind,” says Brauer. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, both Ford and GM announced initiatives to bring more connection, innovation and apps to their infotainment systems.

Like German vehicles, despite the tough reliability scores, domestic automakers tend to rank highly in a the Automotive Performance, Execution & Layout (APEAL) rankings with American brands sitting around the industry average in JD Power’s annual study.

It’s hard to ignore the glaring recalls and low numbers of recommended vehicles by consumer publications, though it seems the buying public is doing just that, instead favoring other factors and making cars like the Ford Focus the sixth best selling car in America in 2012.

After a series of complaints about seats failing to latch properly in 2004 Ford Windstars and Mercury Monterey minivans, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is upgrading its inquiry of the 63,000 vans from an investigation to an engineering analysis.

Ford acknowledged that there is a flaw with the vehicles, but said it didn’t feel there was any real safety risk. According to the complaints filed with NHTSA, seats may fail to latch properly after the vans age and are exposed to moisture, allowing for corrosion.

Further arguing against the need for a recall, the automaker said the number of complaints was small and the vehicles were considerably old. While that might be true, recalls against cars more than eight years old are common, so it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a case to be made on that front.

Claiming that the flaw doesn’t pose a serious safety hazard might be a better argument except for the obvious: it’s a huge risk. Imagine what would happen if there was a child strapped in and something heavy behind the seat during hard braking or a head-on crash.

Gruesome images aside, the fact that NHTSA is upgrading the inquiry seems to speak for itself. The trouble is, fixing a rusted latch could mean extensive body work, which would be expensive for Ford, especially given the number of vans potentially concerned.

Insurance isn’t kind to teenage drivers. Rates are usually double the price of experienced drivers. Luckily CarInsure.com has provided a list of the top 10 best vehicles to insure for teenagers. 

The rates are calculated based on a Washington family: a married couple driving a 2011 Honda Accord and a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, with a clean driving record and good credit. Their teenage driver is a 16-year-old male, also with a clean driving record. This list covers a five-year insurance impact. The vehicles on this list are from 2008, or 2009.

Tenth on the list is the 2009 Ford Fusion, equipped with ESC. This car gains its price thanks to a perfect NHTSA front impact score and the highest score possible for frontal-offset and side impact tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The key to this model though is the optional electronic stability control.

Speeding is dangerous. Speeding at night time while drunk is just stupid. Doing all that with young children on board has to be among the dumbest things a person can do.

However, Oregon Police had to deal with just such a driver this morning. Maria Elena Andres, 30, was cited for speeding at about 2:20 a.m. Her car finally stopped after a half-hour chase, which ended with the police using a spike strip to pop the tires on her 1998 Mercury Sable.

When the state troopers approached her car, they found her four-year old son and nine-year old daughter in the back seat. Thankfully they were belted in the car and unharmed.

Andres was taken to Lane County Jail and was charged with eluding the police, driving under the influence of intoxicants, and two counts of reckless driving. Her children were turned over to the Department of Human Services.

The exact details of her fines or jail time have not been published, but at least her children are in safer custody.

[Source: Oregon Live]

This one almost left us speechless. Almost. Up for sale in Chicoutimi, QC, Canada is a custom 1993 Mercury Topaz that’s been converted to a pickup truck. Yes you heard that correctly, the 2.3L four-cylinder, front-wheel drive Topaz can now haul around… well, anything!

The 1993 Mercury Topaz had all of 96-hp from its 2.3L, four-cylinder powerplant. And why anyone would think it would be a good idea to convert the automatic transmission-equipped crap-box to a pickup truck is beyond us. But hey, according to the for sale post it’s very economic, just got a new windshield, and new battery. And now it’s looking for a new owner.

GALLERY: 1993 Mercury Topaz Pickup

[Source: Kijiji]

After encountering 30 incidents involving cracked wheel studs and steel wheels separating from the vehicles, Ford will be recalling 128,616 2010 and 2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans to fix the issue.

An investigation by NHTSA led to the recall, though no injuries have been reported. Ford will notify owners of the affected vehicles, inspect them at dealerships and replace any components free of charge. Check out the official article below the jump for more information.

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):
FORD / FUSION 2010-2011
MERCURY / MILAN 2010-2011

Manufacturer: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

Mfr’s Report Date: DEC 05, 2011

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 11V574000

NHTSA Action Number: 2 Investigations found

Component: WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS

Potential Number of Units Affected: 128,616

Summary:
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 FORD FUSION AND MERCURY MILAN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 17 INCH STEEL WHEELS AND BUILT FROM APRIL 1, 2009, THROUGH APRIL 30, 2009, AND FROM DECEMBER 1, 2009, THROUGH NOVEMBER 13, 2010. THE WHEEL STUDS MAY FRACTURE, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A WHEEL TO SEPARATE.

Consequence:
WHILE DRIVING, MULTIPLE STUD FRACTURES COULD OCCUR AT THE WHEEL LOCATION, AND THE OPERATOR MAY EXPERIENCE VEHICLE VIBRATION AND/OR WHEEL SEPARATION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy:
FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR BRAKE DISC SURFACE FOR FLATNESS AND REPLACE THE DISCS AS NECESSARY. ADDITIONALLY, THE WHEEL LUG NUTS WILL BE REPLACED ON ALL FOUR WHEELS. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 24, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.

Notes:
FORD’S RECALL NUMBER IS 11S23. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has upgraded their investigation into consumer complaints that the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles are affected by wheel stud fractures that cause the wheels to come off.

The initial investigation of 317,315 Ford mid-sized sedans has been upgraded to an engineering analysis after more than 29 complaints and 128 warranty related claims were filed because of these fractures. ”We’ll fully cooperate with the government as they review this matter,” Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said. “We are not aware at this point of any allegations of injuries related to this matter.” The current engineering analysis investigation does not always lead to recalls, but that situation has not yet been ruled out.

[Source: Automotive News]

Ford has issued a recall for 3,000 2007 Ford Five Hundreds and Mercury Montego sedans due to faulty fuel tanks. The tank may not have been properly welded between the fuel tank and fuel filler neck. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted that in the event of a severe rear impact, a faulty weld could lead to a crack in the joint which may cause a fuel leak.

Ford has stated that there have been minor fuel leaks in a small number of warranty claims. However, most of the tanks in question have been replaced due to dashboard warning lights being triggered by evaporative emission leaks. The affected vehicles were built at the Chicago Assembly Plant between September 5 and September 11, 2006. Ford will notify affected owners beginning on August 15 and will give them until August 31 to respond for full reimbursement of the costs associated with the recall.