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Ford recalls Explorer, Flex, Taurus for parking brakes

Ford announced a recall of nearly 8,000 vehicles spread across a broad range of models for a faulty parking brake, which might not engage fully. The automaker has not received any reports of accidents or injuries resulting from the issue. The recall affects certain examples of the 2015-16 Ford Explorer, the 2015 Taurus, and the 2015 Flex. The 2015 Lincoln MKS and MKT are also included in the campaign. The vehicles in question were assembled at the company's Chicago and Oakville (Ontario) plants from May 4 to May 23. All told, 7,165 of the affected vehicles are estimated to be in the United States, with another 799 in Canada, and a solitary example in Mexico. In order to address the issue, owners are asked to bring the affected vehicles their local dealership, where technicians will inspect the vehicle and where necessary, replace the parking brake control assembly. Jul 22, 2015 | DEARBORN, Mich. Ford Issues Safety Compliance Recall in North America DEARBORN, Mich., July 22, 2015 – Ford is issuing a safety compliance recall for approximately 8,000 vehicles in North America, including certain 2015-2016 Ford Explorer, and certain 2015 Taurus and Flex, as well as Lincoln MKS and MKT vehicles for an issue with the parking brake. In these vehicles, the parking brake might not engage fully, which is a compliance issue with FMVSS 135 regarding brake systems. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue. Affected vehicles include certain 2015-2016 Ford Explorer vehicles built at Chicago Assembly Plant, May 4, 2015 through May 23, 2015; certain 2015 Ford Taurus vehicles built at Chicago Assembly Plant, May 4, 2015 through May 23, 2015; certain 2015 Ford Flex vehicles built at Oakville Assembly Plant, May 4, 2015 through May 23, 2015; certain 2015 Lincoln MKS vehicles built at Chicago Assembly Plant, May 4, 2015 through May 23, 2015; and certain Lincoln MKT vehicles built at Oakville Assembly Plant, May 4, 2015 through May 21, 2015. There are 7,165 vehicles in the United States and federalized territories, 799 in Canada and one in Mexico. Dealers will inspect the vehicle and, if necessary, replace the parking brake control assembly at no cost to the customer. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Ford Explorer View 30 Photos News Source: Ford Recalls Ford Lincoln Crossover Sedan ford flex lincoln mks lincoln mkt

John Hennessey's personal 2015 HPE700 Supercharged Ford Mustang GT hits 195 mph

Dressed in a coat of menacing black paint, the 2015 Hennessey Performance HPE700 Supercharged Ford Mustang GT definitely looks like one mean muscle machine. The 717-horsepower 'Stang proved that it can back up that aggressive appearance recently when company founder John Hennessey took his personal example to see just how fast it would go. The result down the 1.1-mile straight at the Continental Tires Proving Grounds in Uvalde, Texas, was over 195 miles per hour. The Mustang is nothing but a black blur and wall of supercharger wail as it buzzes by the camera at top speed. Despite the strong result, Hennessey doesn't seem done with the 'Stang yet. The car still seems to be pulling when it hits the rev limiter, and there's some straight track left ahead. After getting out, John Hennessey immediately says he thinks 200 mph is possible. The heart of the HPE700 is a 2.9-liter Roots-Type supercharger running at 7.25 psi. That's a pretty massive blower, especially when considering the 2.4-liter unit on the Hellcat V8. The engine also gets upgrades like improved injectors, a new fuel pump, stainless steel exhaust and recalibrated management. The company claims the upgraded Mustang can hit 60 in around 3.6 seconds and do the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 131 mph. Prices for the package start at $59,500, but this one would would ring up for $65,874. Hennessey Performance is limiting production to 500 of them for the 2015 model year. 2015 HPE700 Supercharged Mustang Rockets to 195.2 mph John Hennessey takes his personal Mustang GT on a Texas road trip Uvalde, Texas-Everything is bigger in Texas, especially when it comes to automotive performance. Texas also lays claim to the highest posted speed limit in America at 85 mph. Enter the team from Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) who are located just west of Houston. John Hennessey and his merry band of performance car builders like to go fast, so much so that they have their own 1/4 mile dragstrip next to their workshop. Recently, the Hennessey team wanted to test their 717 horsepower HPE700 Supercharged Mustang development car (John's personal car and occasional daily driver) beyond the 130+ mph speeds that they have seen on the dragstrip. "Thankfully, we had recently received an invitation from the guys at the Continental Tires proving grounds in Uvalde to come over and do some testing on their 8.0 mile high speed oval", said Hennessey.

Ford's Galhotra succeeds Farley as head of Lincoln

Ford Motor Company is announcing a major personnel shakeup that could have a dramatic effect on the future of the Lincoln division. Kumar Galhotra (pictured above), currently vice president of engineering at Ford for all of its vehicles worldwide, is taking over as the president of the luxury brand on September 1, replacing Jim Farley. The automaker is also hiring a new head of advanced engineering.
Galhotra has a huge job ahead of him as the new boss of Lincoln worldwide, overseeing product development, marketing, sales and service. His task is to turn the luxury division into a world-class brand as quickly as possible, and he reports directly to Ford President and CEO Mark Fields.
"These changes underscore our commitment to build on the success of our One Ford plan by accelerating our pace of progress. They also make clear we are serious about Lincoln as a world-class luxury brand and that product excellence and innovation are what will deliver growth and define our entire company going forward," said Fields in the company's announcement.