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NHTSA closes probes on Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey

The Detroit News reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially closed its investigations into 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey models. The separate probes found no issues that pose safety concerns. NHTSA began investigating certain Grand Cherokee SUVs over complaints that power steering hoses could detach during operation, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicle fire. Of the 24 reports of failure, none alleged smoke or fire in the engine bay, and Chrysler has since modified the power steering cooler assembly to reduce the likelihood of the failure.
Meanwhile, certain Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles garnered a government probe after receiving complaints that the models were equipped with faulty scissor jacks. The agency had received six reports of the jacks failing or causing injuries, including one incident that resulted in a fatality. But NHTSA says the jack failure rate is similar to those found in other vehicles. In those six cases, the government agency found the jacks were being used for something other than changing a tire, and investigators could not determine whether the emergency brake was set or the rear tires were properly chocked.

Ford surges with record 2Q profit

We already knew that the second quarter of 2015 has been good to General Motors. For Ford, though, it's been even better. The Blue Oval saw a net income of $1.9 billion, $800 million more than its larger cross-town rival. Pre-tax profits were even more impressive, at $2.9B. Those figures aren't only more impressive than what GM could conjure up, they improved handily over the same period in 2014. Net profits were up by $574 million, or a staggering 44 percent, while pre-tax profits saw a 10-percent bump over 2014. Ford Credit also had a strong quarter, raking in just over half a billion dollars before taxes. So yeah, Ford calling Q2 "outstanding" in its press release is no exaggeration. The vast majority of Ford's positive Q2 can be attributed to the North American market, which made up $2.6 billion of the company's pre-tax profits. South America, the Middle East, and Europe were all down, although Asia delivered some relief, making $192 million before taxes. Scroll down for the official press brief from Ford. JUL 28, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. FORD REPORTS STRONG SECOND QUARTER RESULTS; PRE-TAX PROFIT $2.9 BILLION; NET INCOME $1.9 BILLION DEARBORN, Mich., July 28, 2015 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: Ford] today reported its 2015 second quarter financial results. View the press release here and visit shareholder.ford.com to view the slide presentation and access the webcast to Ford's second quarter earnings call, which begins at 9 a.m. EDT with Mark Fields, president and chief executive officer, and Bob Shanks, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Highlights Include: Outstanding second quarter; company on track for a breakthrough year Pre-tax profit of $2.9B, up $269M or 10 percent from a year ago excluding last year's special item charges Net income of $1.9B, up $574M or 44 percent from a year ago After-tax earnings per share of 47 cents, up 7 cents from a year ago excluding last year's special item charges Best Automotive quarterly profit since 2000 Wholesale volume up 2 percent, driven by North America and Europe Automotive revenue about equal, with higher net pricing and volume offset by unfavorable translation effects of the strong U.S.

Kia Seltos, electric Cadillac and a looming Bronco | Autoblog Podcast #615

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder, and Associate Editor Byron Hurd makes his ABP debut. This week, they start with the cars they've been driving: the Jaguar XE, Kia Seltos, Hyundai Venue and Ford Escape. Then they dig into the news, including an upcoming Cadillac EV, Lincoln and Chevy sedans and the Ford Bronco. Finally, they help a listener replace his Jeep Patriot in the Spend My Money segment. Autoblog Podcast #615 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: Jaguar XE 300 R-Dynamic S Kia Seltos Hyundai Venue Ford Escape Cadillac bringing EV to New York Auto Show Chevy and Lincoln dealers say they still want sedans Ford tells dealers the Bronco is weeks away from its global debut Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: 2020 Ford Escape 2.0T #POV drive