2001 Ford Escape Xls Sport Utility 4-door Beige on 2040-cars

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Chevy Silverado frame twist test a marketing victory versus Ford

The pickup market is so competitive that all three major American makers are constantly trying to find a way to prove their product is the best. The new 2015 Ford F-150 is grabbing headlines at the moment by winning awards and posting segment best numbers. But in a new video, Chevrolet is taking aim squarely at the 2015 F-250 Super Duty in a battle of heavy-duty truck supremacy against the 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD... well, in a single metric anyway.
The big numbers from pickups often come down to payload, towing rating and fuel economy, but for this test, Chevy and Howie Long are challenging the torsional rigidity of the trucks' frames, specifically which one flexes less. Long plays the everyman here having the Chevy engineer explain what's going on in the tests. Unsurprisingly for a video on Chevy's official YouTube page, the 2500HD wins out by a good margin. The company also reports that similar results as shown here have been certified in third-party testing.
Check out the video to see the full test. While this might seem like a marketing win for Chevy, Ford isn't immune to it, either. In 2009, the Blue Oval uploaded a similar video comparing the flex under 225 pounds of weight from the bare frames of the F-150, Chevy Silverado, Dodge Ram (as it was still called at the time) and the Toyota Tundra. The results fell in the Blue Oval's favor, as you can see here.

2015 Ford Mustang will tell authorities how you crashed and if you were belted [w/video]

When the 2015 Ford Mustang hits dealers, it will be with a new batch of features that will power up Sync's 911 Assist feature, and provide an even greater degree of information to first responders in the event of an accident.
911 Assist will already make a phone call, via a Bluetooth-connected phone, should you bin your car. The automatic message to first responders is a pre-recorded blurb from Ford. With the new enhancements, though, emergency personnel can learn about the maximum change in velocity and whether the crash involved a front, rear, side or a rollover impact. 911 Assist will also send information about how many seat belts were in use and if airbags deployed, allowing more accurate dispatch of resources.
"Sync will only broadcast relevant information to save time, and it constructs a very efficient message for the operator," said David Hatton, the global project leader with Ford Connected Services. "After the introductory message, the voice line opens automatically and occupants can speak directly with the operator via Sync's hands-free functionality."

Ford blows up Takata airbag recall by over 447k vehicles

Ford is the latest automaker to announce an expansion to its Takata driver-side airbag inflator recall, and the latest increase adds an additional 447,310 vehicles to the nationwide total. The company says that this expansion comes at the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The expanded recall campaign covers: The 2005-2008 Ford Mustang built between August 18, 2004, and June 25, 2007, at the at Flat Rock Assembly Plant The 2005-2006 Ford GT built between February 11, 2005, and January 30, 2006, at the at the Wixom Assembly Plant As of December 18, Ford knows of a total of 502,489 vehicles in need of replacement driver side inflators. Of those, 462,911 are in the US, 27,516 in Canada, 7,578 in Mexico and 4,484 outside of North America. The automaker is aware of one injury that may be related to these exploding parts. Earlier in December, the automaker issued an expanded recall covering passenger side Takata airbag inflators for the Ranger pickup and Ford GT. When taking this into account, the grand total of Ford products with inflators that need replacement for the driver or passenger side is 538,977 vehicles. Scroll down to read the company's full announcement of this enlarged safety campaign. FORD EXPANDS TAKATA DRIVER-SIDE AIRBAG INFLATOR SAFETY RECALL DEC 18, 2014 | DEARBORN, MICH. At the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford is expanding its recall on Takata driver-side airbag inflators. This recall includes approximately 502,489 vehicles, an addition of approximately 447,310 vehicles. This brings the total number of Ford vehicles being recalled for Takata airbag inflators to approximately 538,977. This expanded recall includes 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles built Aug. 18, 2004 to June 25, 2007 at Flat Rock Assembly Plant and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles built Feb. 11, 2005 to Jan. 30, 2006 at Wixom Assembly Plant. As of Dec. 18, 2014, Ford is aware of approximately 462,911 vehicles in the United States and federalized territories, approximately 27,516 in Canada and approximately 7,578 in Mexico affected by this recall. Approximately 4,484 additional vehicles outside of North America are also included in this action. Ford is aware of one accident with an injury that may be related to this condition. Dealers will replace the airbag inflator at no cost to the customer.