The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary investigation on 2011-2013 model year Ford F-150 pickups for reported acceleration issues.
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Cowboy Up
Once upon a time trucks were built for work. They had manual door locks, crank windows and AM radios, if they had any sound system at all. Leather seats, air conditioning and voice-activated distractions were out of the question. Like a framing hammer, pickups were simple and effective.
For decades they were purpose-made for hard-working men (and women), the kind of folks that make Paul Bunyan look like a dragqueen. But somewhere along the line these roughneck vehicles became cool with the subdivision set. People living in suburbia started to buy them en masse. With sales increasing so did the clarion call for more comfort.
Today it’s easy to push a simple truck’s window sticker well into luxury-car territory… and beyond. Sure, these vehicles can still handle a 14-hour day on the jobsite and are even more capable than their forebears, but more often than not they’re loaded with costly options that appeal to style-conscious shoppers rather than blue-collar workers. Here’s a list of 10 pricey pickups tailor-made for urban cowboys. The MSRPs are listed without incentives, so actual pricing may vary.
Previewing the next-gen F-Series pickups, Ford literally dropped the Atlas concept out of the roof of Joe Louis arena at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.
Trying to steal some eyes from the General’s new half-tons, Ford rolled out a new truck concept today in Detroit called the Atlas, which showcases some new innovation coming to the next generation of Ford’s pickup trucks.
Ford of Canada has made history this year, selling more than 100,000 trucks in 2012, making it the first automaker to ever do so in Canada.
General Motors has just finished up unveiling its new trucks and Ford is looking to steal away some of the thunder at next year’s Detroit Auto Show by giving everyone a peek at its next-generation F-150.
Bald Eagle’s soaring and amber waves of grain, it doesn’t get more American than this. Heading to the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 19th is a 2009 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4×4 SuperCrew owned by former President of the United States, George W. Bush. ‘MERICA!
Bigger isn’t always better, although domestic automakers are pretending not to hear you when it comes to compact pickups. Why?
When RAM announced its new 2013 1500 pickup truck, it not only claimed a best-in-class 18-mpg city, 26-mpg highway rating, but also featured a best-in-class V6 towing rating of 6,500 lbs.
In the heart of truck country, Ford debuted its all new 2013 F-150 King Ranch edition today at the Texas State Fair, showing off some new styling updates.
With the oil crisis of the ‘70s many predicted the death of the V8 engine, but it has continued to solider on. With Chrysler and Infiniti execs recently commenting that there’s no place for eight-cylinder cars in the future of their respective brands, this time, are the V8 engine’s days finally numbered?
TMC Fuel Injection System LLC has filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co., accusing the American automaker of infringing on a patent based on the fuel system design used in the F-150 models.
Roush Performance has teamed up with its NASCAR Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle to build a custom Ford F-150 SVT Raptor as part of the Sherwin-Williams Planet Color All-Star Charity Challenge.
Ford’s F-150 Raptor is an off-road tuned machine, meant to tackle dirt, rocks and mud, and Ford even wants us to believe that it is ready for Mars.
Ford engineers are currently looking at overhauling the brand’s popular F-150 pickup truck for its next-generation model with a very significant change that could prove controversial. The American automaker could be building its next F-150 with a large aluminum body, potentially lightening its truck by 700 lbs.
The next generation Chevy Silverado is wrapping up its final testing stages at the company’s proving grounds in Yuma, Ariz. and will start production sometime in 2013.
The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is getting a few tweaks for the 2013 model year, aiming to make it a more capable off-road machine as well as a more connected one.
Ford has launched its “Trap the Raptor” sweepstakes, where the American automaker will be giving away one grand prize of a brand new 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.
The Ford F-150 has been updated for 2013, getting a fresh new nose and some new technology and interior appointments.
Want a chance to win yourself either a Ford Focus ST, Mustang GT, or F-150? Rockstar Energy has teamed up with Ford for what they call “the sickest giveaway of the year!”
Top 10 Best Selling Pickups
The pickup truck is an icon that embodies the working spirit. It’s every blue collar employee’s calling card and farmer’s best friend. Truck buyers grow especially close to their vehicles as trucks are a key tool in earning a living, depending on them to last through days and years of service.
10. Lincoln Navigator Ultimate $109.76
Gas prices might not have hit the budget-busting $5/gallon yet, but drivers are already feeling the pinch. Consumer Reports has exposed a list of the top 10 most expensive vehicles to fill up. All prices are based on the average fuel price in the United States.
First on our top 10 is the Lincoln Navigator Ultimate. The massive V8 in this thing gets a combined 15mpg according to fueleconomy.gov. That gives it a range of around 504 miles on a tank. Filling up this SUV costs almost $110, which surprisingly is far from the costliest fill up on this list.
It seems like the Ford F-150 is going to keep its current look, despite a Chevrolet Silverado update slated for the next couple years.
“Segments like the midsize car, where we need to make a big noise against Honda and Toyota, are much better places for Ford to make strong gains, but where we already have a strong presence and people are holding onto their trucks longer than ever before, we’re likely to continue giving customers what they want,” Eric Merkle said at the Motor Press Guild monthly meeting at the Ford Design studio in Irvine, Calif.
That doesn’t mean Ford fans will have to deal with dated drivetrain tech. Merkle was clear in telling the Chicago Tribune that updates will still happen, though cosmetic changes will be minimal. Instead, major changes will be focused on powertrain updates.
Those updates will probably include smaller, more efficient engines given that the company is talking about doing the same with the Mustang, which probably comes the closest to rivaling the pickup truck community’s V8 fanaticism.
There’s another budding branch in the Ford family tree of pickup trucks, one that we reported in August of last year.
“You know we announced the partnership with Toyota,” Merkle said, “to explore the idea of a hybrid pickup truck. … I think it would be kind of cool to use whatever electric generator that might include to run a bunch of power tools or set up a well-stocked campsite,” Merkle said.
Despite what the hardcore truck community might think, there are changes on the horizon for all gas-thirsty vehicles, pickups included. For now, the loyal old school can take comfort in Merkle’s prediction that the F-150 will stay true for the coming years.
GALLERY: 2012 Ford F-150
[Source: Chicago Tribune]
The Ford Motor Company had a lawsuit issued against it today for allegedly selling F-150 trucks and E class vans over a 10-year period with defective fuel tank linings.
According to Automotive News, Ford issued a secret technical service bulletin to dealers advising them of the issue back in 2007. Neither a recall nor an attempt to fix the problem was ever publicly announced or discussed by the company.
Now, a lawsuit has been filed against Ford by Coba Landscaping and Construction Inc and its principal Galo Coba for fraud, breach of warranty and unjust enrichment. The company is seeking compensatory, punitive and treble damages.
If this case picks up steam, expect countless others to jump onboard and file suits of their own. The secret technical service bulletin also said, “hundreds, if not thousands” of customers have experienced the defect.
The faulty lining inside the gas tank flakes off and eventually ends up clogging the fuel lines, causing sudden power loss, unintended bucking or kicking and possible engine stall.
[Source: Automotive News]