#FordEscape

“First thing I do when I get in my car is turn off the stability control and traction control”.

Many of us have heard someone, at some point, utter this. Or maybe we ourselves are the guilty party. When asked why it was turned it off, the typical response is along the lines of “’cause I’m a real driver,” or, “it gets in the way of driving”.

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

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has released a list of the top stolen sport utility and crossover vehicles in the United States, compiling data from 2009-2011 model years only. In total, entry-level CUVs were the most stolen with 6,357 thefts while hybrid SUVs were the least with 67 – of course, there aren’t as many hybrid SUVs on the road as there are entry-level CUVs. The information also revealed that California had the most thefts with 3,003 with Texas in second (1,826 thefts) and Florida third (1,784 thefts).

2012 was the best-selling year for automakers since 2007, marking the third year in a row that sales have increased. So now is a great time to look back at the best-selling vehicles from last year.

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As 2012 comes to an end, it’s always interesting to see what vehicles were most popular on everyone’s research list for the year.

The votes are in, and the award for the Reader’s Choice of Crossover of the Year goes to the 2013  Ford Escape.

Ford is issuing a recall on its 2013 Escape and Fusion models equipped with the 1.6-liter engine for a possible fire hazard.

After the recent debacle with Hyundai and Kia over their inaccurate MPG claims, Ford may now be under the spotlight as fuel economy numbers for its new hybrid models don’t seem to be living up to expectations.

The collection of vehicles in the Ford booth at the 2012 SEMA Show might be the American automaker’s best in recent years. 

Hosting its annual week-long Test Fest, the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada has announced its picks for Car of the Year in 11 categories with the Cadillac ATS and Ford Focus ST, among others, taking awards.

Joining the already impressive lineup of customized Ford vehicles at the 2012 SEMA Show will be a pair of custom Ford Escapes and a Ford Explorer Sport.

NHTSA has announced that an investigation into about 1.6 million Ford Escape SUVs is being considered.