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NHTSA investigating Ford's solution to May 2014 power steering recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a complaint that Ford's response to a May 2014 recall of the 2008 to 2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner doesn't quite go far enough to solve a troubling power-steering problem. Roughly a year ago, Ford recalled nearly a million vehicles after it was found that a problem with the torque sensor's communication with the power steering control module could cut steering assistance for drivers. While manual steering would still be available, the problem was enough to ask drivers to report in to have the PSCM inspected, and if necessary, replaced (along with the torque sensor, or in dramatic cases, the entire steering column). That would only happen, though, if trouble codes were being thrown. If there weren't any problems, dealers were told to simply update the PSCM's software so that any issues between it and the torque sensor would simply throw a visual and audio warning – power steering would still be maintained. The petitioner claimed that following the recall work, he still experienced a problem with the torque sensor. According to NHTSA, a claim was made that Ford didn't go far enough in its solution to the problem, and that "the software update itself may in fact cause further issues with the affected vehicle's power steering, causing it to fail, and ultimately requiring replacement of the torque sensor or entire steering column." The petition was filed in early February and is now officially being looked into by NHTSA.

Hennessey unleashes 2015 HPE700 supercharged Ford Mustang

Thanks to the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat there is a new magic number in the muscle car world - 707. To raise eyebrows these days in the power war, a vehicle needs to match or preferably exceed that palindromic figure. The tuners over at Hennessey took a look at it for their 2015 HPE700 Mustang and decided to go one better. Well, ten actually, because they bestowed their latest creation with 717 horsepower and 632 pound-feet of torque.
The HPE 700 Mustang takes the standard Mustang GT with its 5.0-liter V8 and turns up the power a few hundred notches with a Roots-type supercharger running at 7.25 psi. Hennessey claims that this boosted 'Stang can rocket to 60 miles per hour in about 3.6 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 131 mph. For those keeping score at home, those figures are very similar to Challenger Hellcat.
To cope with all of the added boost, the engine gets a high-flow throttle body, upgraded injectors, new fuel pump, stainless steel exhaust and Hennessey's calibration for the engine management. Pricing for the package is $59,500, including the base 2015 Mustang GT, but the company is limiting production to 500 units for the 2015 model year. Founder John Hennessey told Autoblog that he has already received about a dozen orders for them.

Ford nets $5.7B in 2012, $1.6B in fourth quarter

Ford brought in $5.7 billion in net income during 2012, which is around $307 million less than one year prior. Even so, the automaker closed out 2012 with the highest pre-tax profit for a single quarter in nearly 10 years, earning $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter thanks largely to a higher-than-average truck mix in the US. That's a jump of $577 million over 2011. Likewise, that translated into fourth quarter income of $1.6 billion. All told, Ford set a full-year pre-tax profit record in 2012. But that doesn't necessarily mean everything is rosy in the land of the Blue Oval.
Like every other manufacturer, 2012 saw Ford get hammered in the European Union, where a deep economic recession continues to drive down consumer confidence. The automaker lost more than $700 million in Europe, and saw full revenue of $26.6 billion in 2012. That's a decline of $7.2 billion compared to last yea. Ford says the market for new vehicles in Europe has contracted to 13.5 million units, the lowest number in 17 years. You can read the full press release below for more information.