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NHTSA will investigate some Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ models for power steering issue

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening an investigation into the 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ, the 2012 MKZ Hybrid and 2011 Mercury Milan because the agency has hundreds of complaints of electric power steering failure in these models.
According to NHTSA's data, it has received 508 complaints of the power steering allegedly suddenly malfunctioning and resulting in increased effort to turn the wheel. In four incidents, these failures resulted in loss of control and crashes. According to the reports, in some cases a power steering warning message came on as the fault occurred, and other times the system restored itself by turning off and then restarting the vehicle. NHTSA said it has also received further field report data from Ford, but that information hasn't been publicly released yet.
For the moment, there isn't a recall for this failure on these models. NHTSA is just investigating them to "assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect," and the agency says an estimated 938,000 vehicles could potentially be affected.

Xcar flogs the 2015 Ford Focus ST

There's an inevitable dilemma that practically every auto fan eventually faces, at least other than Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld, and that's the tradeoff of performance, practicality and perhaps most importantly, money. Parking the fabled supercar in the garage might be the wish, but for most folks bigger responsibilities – like a family – just don't allow that dream to be a reality. In the view of XCar Films, this intersection of needs and wants is where vehicles like the latest Ford Focus ST provide a fantastic compromise between exciting driving and everyday practicality. Xcar hops into Ford's recently refreshed European hot hatch to illustrate its abilities as both a hauler for the small family on the move and for the driver who just wants to go. The Blue Oval left the powertrain alone for the ST's update, but sharpened the exterior styling, revised the interior and retuned the front suspension and steering. Being realistic, no one is ever going to get behind the wheel of the Focus ST and mistake it for a Porsche, but that's not really the point. Instead, buyers get to put a smile on their face from time to time and still maintain life's other responsibilities. Related Gallery 2015 Ford Focus ST (Euro-spec) View 14 Photos News Source: Xcar Films via YouTubeImage Credit: Related images copyright Ford Ford Hatchback Performance Videos ford focus st xcar xcar films

Porsche 911 Turbo and Nissan GT-R Nismo star in World's Greatest Drag Race 4

We love Motor Trend's annual World's Greatest Drag Race video. Now back for its fourth appearance, the idea of lining some of the world's fastest cars up for a ten-wide, straight-line, full-throttle run is, well... it's pretty freaking badass.
The lineup this year boasts some impressively fast cars to be sure. The group of ten includes the following darlings: Alfa Romeo 4C, BMW i8, BMW M4, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Ford Fiesta ST, Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, Nissan GT-R Nismo, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Subaru WRX STI and, last but not least, the Volkswagen GTI. Give us any one of those for the weekend, and we're happy to take the keys.
It must be said though, that for a publication that draws as much water as Motor Trend does, there are some big cars that we might expect to be here instead. The Lamborghini Huracán or Ferrari 458 Speciale would have added some exotic flare to the list, and the omissions of the Chevy Corvette Stingray (for the second year in a row) and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat are real head-scratchers.