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Ford finally issues recall for 230K minivans over rust problems

The rust issue in the rear wheel wells of 2004-2007 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans has finally led to a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation into the matter in 2011, said investigation being upgraded to an engineering analysis a year later while NHTSA tried to figure out how many model years should be included in the assessment.
Ford has decided to recall all of the 230,000 minivans potentially affected, namely those sold in salt-belt states and countries like Canada. The excess rust in the rear wheel wells was also able to prevent the third-row seats from locking to the floor of the minivan. To repair the problem, owners can take their minivans to dealers, and the dealers will place new panels in the wheel wells, replace the third-row seat mounting brackets and relocate the latches to an area away from any corrosion.
Ford says it will begin notifying owners during the last week of March.

eBay Find of the Day: Craterface's '49 Mercury convertible from Grease

Here is your chance to own your very own piece of greased lightning. Well, not the Greased Lighting, it's actually the black, flamed 1949 Mercury convertible that races against John Travolta in the classic 1978 movie Grease, and it's for auction on eBay Motors.
While it appeared in the film's exciting drag race in a Los Angeles storm drain, the hot rod was reportedly lost until last year, when the seller found it as a shell. He verified that it was the actual car with original builder, Eddie Paul, and sent the car for a complete restoration.
The auction includes original parts like the exhaust tips used in the movie and bent bumper from when it hit Travolta's car in the scene. The restorer recreated the scorpion stickers on the doors, razor hubcaps and license plate. He also installed a 1949 Mercury 255-cubic-inch (4.2-liter), flathead V8 and three-speed manual transmission with overdrive.

Ford recalls 600,000 older-model sedans for braking issue

Ford is recalling 600,166 older-model Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles over an issue that could affect braking and increase the risk of a crash. The safety recall covers certain Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ sedans from the 2006 through 2010 model years that were built at Ford’s Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico between Feb. 22, 2006, and July 15, 2009. Ford says a valve that is normally closed inside the hydraulic control unit may get stuck in the open position or be slow to close, which could make it harder to engage the brakes and increase risk of a crash. Ford says itÂ’s aware of 15 reports of accidents and two injuries possibly related to the issue. Dealers will inspect the hydraulic control unit for signs of the problem and replace it, if necessary. The dealers will pressure-flush the system with brake fluid and replace the reservoir cap with a new one. Ford is also issuing a small recall of 33 of its 2020 F-150 trucks in the U.S. and 51 in Canada over potentially damaged spare tires. It says the bead area on the tires may have been damaged when it was mounted onto the wheel assembly, leaving it vulnerable to corrosion, separation of the bead wire and ultimately a rapid loss of air pressure and detachment from the wheel. Dealers will replace the spare tire. Affected vehicles were built at the Dearborn Truck Plant from Nov. 10-21 of this year.