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Feds Probe Power Steering In 938,000 Ford Midsize Cars

U.S. safety regulators are investigating complaints that the power-assisted steering can suddenly fail on three Ford midsize car models. The probe covers 938,000 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars from the 2010 through 2012 model years, as well as the 2010 and 2011 Mercury Milan. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has received 508 complaints alleging that the cars lost power-assisted steering, causing increased steering effort. Four complaints say the problem caused crashes, but no injuries were reported. The agency says in documents posted Monday on its website that in many cases, a warning message appeared as the failure happened. Restarting the car corrected the problem in some cases, but the problem returned in others. The agency says it will check the scope and frequency of a problem. It could seek a recall. Ford says it's cooperating with the probe. Shares of Ford Motor Co. rose 6 cents to $14.65 in morning trading Monday. Its shares are down 14 percent over the past year. Related Gallery Our Favorite Hot And Sporty Cars For 2015 Recalls Ford Lincoln NHTSA Ford Motor Company power steering mercury milan investigation

Lincoln Aviator's Air Glide Adaptive Suspension knows when it'll hit potholes

Lincoln is set to release its all-new three-row 2020 Aviator this summer. It will become the fifth SUV in Lincoln's lineup and the second-most expensive of the bunch, behind its Navigator big brother. One of the vehicle's stand-out features is the available Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview, which adjusts to the road using cameras and sensors. Lincoln detailed the modern tech in a new video seen above.  Selling vehicles in the luxury space requires various impressive characteristics, but above all, the most important might be the ride. Engineers design everything to maintain a comfortable experience, and today, the preparation for rough roads doesn't stop in the development and production facilities. Modern technology allows cars adapt to the surfaces they're driving on rather than applying a one-size-fits-all setup to all roads.  The 2020 Lincoln Aviator will use Air Glide Suspension and Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview in attempts to provide the best ride possible. The Air Glide Suspension uses air springs instead of coil springs, and the air bladders will stiffen or soften based on the road conditions, driving speed, and drive mode.  The Adaptive Suspension uses 12 sensors placed throughout the vehicle to monitor all sorts of vehicle conditions. It collects information on body motion, steering, acceleration, and braking and adjusts accordingly. Lincoln says the system reads the road about 500 times per second and can change settings up to 100 times per second. For example, the Aviator will know when a pothole is incoming and will stiffen the shock absorber to reduce the harshness of the hit. Road Preview, which uses a built-in forward-facing camera near the rearview mirror, helps understand the road up to 50 feet ahead and aids in informing the adaptive suspension of incoming bumps between two to eight inches.  Buyers interested in the Aviator will be able to choose between two powertrains: a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 or a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 hybrid. The Standard model starts at $52,840, while the Black Label Grand Touring starts at $89,540. Look for the Aviator to pop up at dealerships soon. 

Ford rakes in record $2.5b profit during Q1 of 2016

Fears that the auto industry is due for a downturn may be fading. Ford posted record profits in the first quarter of 2016, the company announced Thursday. Chief financial officer Bob Shanks said Ford enjoyed its best quarterly performance in history, generating operating profits of $3.8 billion and a record profit margin of 9.8 percent. Overall, the company's $2.5 billion profit in the quarter more than doubled from the 2015 quarterly results. "The first quarter was an absolutely terrific start to the year, an all-time record for the company, with very strong performance across the business," said chief executive officer Mark Fields. "We're excited about our future and confident in our ability to deliver long-term growth and profitability as we expand our business model to be both an auto and a mobility company." During the quarter, Ford announced the creation of Ford Smart Mobility, a new subsidiary that would vet future mobility projects in the realm of car-sharing, fractional ownership and autonomous deployment. The company also kicked off a billion-dollar makeover of its Dearborn, Michigan campus and headquarters. The company's after-tax earnings of $0.68 per share trumped Wall Street's expectations, and were significantly up from $0.39 per share a year ago. The results were buoyed by the company's fourth consecutive quarter of growth in Europe, which comes after a long period of stagnant sales. Ford's earnings results come amid reports that April car sales are on pace to jump 4 percent year over year, which would make it the best-selling April in history. Kelley Blue Book projects that car sales will reach 1.51 million this month, placing the industry on track for 17.5 million vehicles sold in 2016. Even as SUV and crossover sales drive the market, analysts say Nissan and Honda are positioned to benefit from renewed interest in mid-size cars. "Following a disappointing March, we expect sales to get back on track in April with SAAR in the mid-17 million range," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "Increased fleet sales and rising incentive spending among automakers remain the factors to watch, but the retail demand appears to be holding steady, signaling the industry's strong run isn't over quite yet." Related Video: Image Credit: Getty Earnings/Financials Ford Lincoln 5g Connectivity mobility auto industry financial