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NHTSA upgrades Ford floor mat unintended acceleration probe

According to a Bloomberg report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has upgraded an investigation into complaints of unintended acceleration lodged against Ford vehicles. The investigation began in June of 2010 when just three complaints had been received and it only concerned the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, but this was at a time when the phrase "unintended acceleration" made grown men go pale. With 49 additional complaints received since then, the investigation has been reclassified as an engineering analysis - the last phase before a recall - and it has been expanded to include the Lincoln MKZ, making for a total of "around 480,000" units affected between the three sedans from the 2008 to 2010 model years.
The ostensible cause is that floor mats are trapping the accelerator pedal, but according to a Ford statement at the time, the entrapment is due to owners placing the optional all-weather floor mats, or aftermarket floor mats, on top of the car's standard floor mats. NHTSA has backed up that assessment, pinning the blame on "unsecured or double stacked floor mats."
On the face of it, it would appear that NHTSA has upgraded the status not because of Ford's error, but owner error, and Ford has stated publicly that it is "disappointed" in NHTSA's move. On top of NHTSA still being skittish after that other unintended acceleration debacle, it could be seen to be taking its time investigating all of the variables: it's reported that Ford changed its accelerator pedal design in 2010, a "heel blocker" in the floorpan has been considered a potential culprit in how the floor mats could be trapping the pedal, some drivers have said the floor mats weren't anywhere near the pedal, and according to a report in the LA Times, in "a letter sent by Ford to NHTSA in August 2010, the automaker said it found three injuries and one fatality that 'may have resulted from the alleged defect.'"

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, Volvo XC40 Recharge score high in IIHS tests

New electric cars continue their streak of impressive crash test results. The two latest to go through Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing are the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E and the 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge. The former earned a Top Safety Pick award, and the latter picked up the Top Safety Pick+ commendation. Both vehicles got the top "Good" rating in every crash test, as well as the "Superior" rating for vehicle-to-vehicle collision prevention. They deviate when it comes to headlights and vehicle-to-pedestrian collision prevention. Because the Volvo has headlights rated "Good" on all trims, it got that extra "+" on its Top Safety Pick award. The Ford also has high-rated headlights available, but the standard units got the second lowest rating of "Marginal." As for the vehicle-to-pedestrian collision prevention, the Volvo received the second-highest "Advanced" rating, while the Ford was rated "Superior." Among the electric cars IIHS has tested, the Ford and Volvo continue a streak of high scores. The organization has evaluated the Audi E-Tron in both its body styles, as well as the Tesla Model 3, both of which get the Top Safety Pick+ rating. As a result of the XC40 Recharge's test score, Volvo pointed out that it is the only automaker whose entire lineup has received a Top Safety Pick+ rating. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.  

Aussie Ford Falcon GT shows its rear end to Lamborghini Gallardo

When Ford Australia announces, as it did recently, that it wants to celebrate the end of its Ford Performance Vehicle division with a Falcon FPV GT-F that celebrates big-bore origins of the nameplate, it's talking about the kind of car in this video.
At some point the classic Falcon GT - said to be an XY series - was invited to a test of acceleration against a Lamborghini Gallardo. At the very least, the Falcon GT had a 351 cubic-inch motor and 300 horsepower, but whatever this guy's got under the hood of his yellow sedan makes has him so confident that he doesn't even move his elbow from its resting place on the door.
You'll find a reminder of Ford Australia's heyday, a raucous exhaust note and some NSFW language in the short video below.