2007 Lincoln Mark Lt on 2040-cars

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NHTSA upgrades Ford floor mat unintended acceleration probe

According to a Bloomberg report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has upgraded an investigation into complaints of unintended acceleration lodged against Ford vehicles. The investigation began in June of 2010 when just three complaints had been received and it only concerned the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, but this was at a time when the phrase "unintended acceleration" made grown men go pale. With 49 additional complaints received since then, the investigation has been reclassified as an engineering analysis - the last phase before a recall - and it has been expanded to include the Lincoln MKZ, making for a total of "around 480,000" units affected between the three sedans from the 2008 to 2010 model years.
The ostensible cause is that floor mats are trapping the accelerator pedal, but according to a Ford statement at the time, the entrapment is due to owners placing the optional all-weather floor mats, or aftermarket floor mats, on top of the car's standard floor mats. NHTSA has backed up that assessment, pinning the blame on "unsecured or double stacked floor mats."
On the face of it, it would appear that NHTSA has upgraded the status not because of Ford's error, but owner error, and Ford has stated publicly that it is "disappointed" in NHTSA's move. On top of NHTSA still being skittish after that other unintended acceleration debacle, it could be seen to be taking its time investigating all of the variables: it's reported that Ford changed its accelerator pedal design in 2010, a "heel blocker" in the floorpan has been considered a potential culprit in how the floor mats could be trapping the pedal, some drivers have said the floor mats weren't anywhere near the pedal, and according to a report in the LA Times, in "a letter sent by Ford to NHTSA in August 2010, the automaker said it found three injuries and one fatality that 'may have resulted from the alleged defect.'"

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

2019 Lincoln Nautilus replaces the MKX, adds a price increase and tech

The 2019 Lincoln Nautilus forms the next step in Lincoln's overhaul. Replacing the crossover formerly known as the MKX — the brand's best-seller in the U.S. — the Nautilus gets all-new sheetmetal from the A-pillar forward. This includes a mesh grille and chrome accents that bring the midsize CUV in line with the Continental sedan and Navigator full-sized SUV. A new base engine and more standard equipment help pad a price increase, the Nautilus starting at $40,340, plus $995 destination, for $41,335 total. That's a $1,305 price bump over the MKX, and just $255 short of the starting price of the crosstown rival Cadillac XT5. Optional all-wheel drive adds $2,495. The "Premier" appellation for the entry-level model goes away — it's now just Nautilus. The Select, Reserve and Black Label trims carry over. Lincoln said the new interior bestows best-in-class headroom and legroom. The standard model comes with 10-way power seats, a 12.3-inch digital dash, an eight-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sync 3, and 18-inch wheels. The $45,540 Select adds leather seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, and LED fog lights. The $49,870 Reserve puts climate control in those seats, a panoramic roof overhead, a 13-inch Revel audio system all around, and 20-inch wheels below. The $57,890 Black Label upgrades to Venetian leather seats and Alcantara headliner, a 19-speaker Revel Ultima stereo, and 21-inch aluminum wheels, plus a host of exclusive interior materials, and anytime car washes. The standard engine goes down in power: the 2.0-liter, twin-turbo, four-cylinder EcoBoost puts out 245 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, replacing the 3.7-liter V6 that got 303 hp and 278 lb-ft. Yet the old 3.7-liter made do with a six-speed automatic, while all Nautilus models get Ford's new eight-speed automatic, and the EcoBoost comes with start/stop. The optional engine, available on Select, Reserve, and Black Label trims, remains a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 with 335 hp and 380 lb-ft, and costs a further $2,070. The Nautilus introduces Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 to the range, which bundles features such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a backup camera, and blind-spot information with cross-traffic alert. You can play around with all the options on the Nautilus configurator. While you're there, spare a thought for the MKZ sedan and MKT crossover.