1973 Mercury Cougar Xr-7 Metallic Royal Blue, Rare Convertible.{only 1500 Made} on 2040-cars

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Ford recalls 300,000 Crown Vics over lighting module

The Basics: Ford is recalling 312,814 units of the Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis sedans from the 2003-2005 model years. They were built at the St. Thomas Assembly Plant between Oct. 3, 2001, and Aug. 2, 2005. Ford says 296,004 of those units are located in the United States, with another 14,714 in Canada and 2,096 in Mexico. The Problem: The solder joints on the lighting control module could crack, depriving the headlamps of the power they need to light the way ahead. That could increase the risk of a crash, particularly at night and in other low-visibility situations. Injuries/Deaths: Ford reports that it is aware of 11 accidents that resulted from the problem, leading to one injury described as "minor." The Fix: The manufacturer is instructing dealers to replace the entire lighting control module. If You Own One: Make sure your headlights are working before getting under way. If they're not, avoid driving under low-light conditions, including at night, in heavy precipitation, or in fog. Ford Issues Three Safety Recalls and One Safety Compliance Recall in North America DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 22, 2015 – Ford Motor Company is issuing three safety recalls and one safety compliance recall in North America. Details are as follows: Ford Motor Company issues safety recall for certain 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles to replace lighting control module Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for approximately 313,000 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles to replace a lighting control module. The solder joints on the module could crack and interrupt power to the headlamps – increasing the risk of crash at night. Ford is aware of 11 reports of accidents and one report of a minor injury related to this issue. Affected vehicles include certain 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles built at St. Thomas Assembly Plant, Oct. 3, 2001 through Aug. 2, 2005. There are a total of 312,814 vehicles that might be affected in North America, including 296,004 in the United States and federalized territories, 14,714 in Canada and 2,096 in Mexico. Dealers will replace the lighting control module at no cost to the customer. Ford issues safety recall for certain 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles to replace rear air brake chamber Ford is issuing a safety recall for 177 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles to replace the rear air brake chamber.

Car Stories: Owning the SHO station wagon that could've been

A little over a year ago, I bought what could be the most interesting car I will ever own. It was a 1987 Mercury Sable LS station wagon. Don't worry – there's much more to this story. I've always had a soft spot for wagons, and I still remember just how revolutionary the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable were back in the mid-1980s. As a teenager, I fell especially hard for the 220-horsepower 1989 Ford Taurus SHO – so much so that I'd go on to own a dozen over the next 20 years. And like many other quirky enthusiasts, I always wondered what a SHO station wagon would be like. That changed last year when I bought the aforementioned Sable LS wagon, festooned with the high-revving DOHC 3.0-liter V6 engine and five-speed manual transmission from a 1989 Taurus SHO. In addition, the wagon had SHO front seats, a SHO center console, and the 140-mph instrument cluster with mileage that matched the engine. When I bought it, that number was just under 60,000 – barely broken in for the overachieving Yamaha-sourced mill. The engine and transmission weren't the only upgrades. It wore dual-piston PBR brakes with the choice Eibach/Tokico suspension combo in front. The rear featured SHO disc brakes with MOOG cargo coils and Tokico shocks, resulting in a wagon that handled ridiculously well while still retaining a decent level of comfort and five-door functionality. I could attack the local switchbacks while rowing gears to a 7,000-rpm soundtrack just as easily as loading up on lumber at the hardware store. Over time I added a front tower brace to stiffen things a bit as well as a bigger, 73-mm mass airflow sensor for better breathing, and I sourced some inexpensive 2004 Taurus 16-inch five-spoke wheels, refinished in gunmetal to match the two-tone white/gunmetal finish on the car. That, along with some minor paint and body work, had me winning trophies at every car show in town. And yet, what I loved most about the car wasn't its looks or performance, but rather its history. And here's where things also get a little philosophical, because I absolutely, positively love old used cars. Don't get me wrong – new cars are great. Designers can sculpt a timeless automotive shape, and engineers can construct systems and subsystems to create an exquisite chassis with superb handling and plenty of horsepower. But it's the age and mileage that turn machines into something more than the sum of their parts.

Junkyard Gem: 1979 Mercury Marquis 2-Door Sedan

As the creator of the now-much-overused term "Malaise Era" (which I say started in 1973 and ended in 1983, full stop), I have a certain affection for the big two-door Detroit cars of the late 1970s. When such a car is built on the very first model year of Ford's long-lived Panther platform and I find one in a junkyard, I must document it. The 1979 Mercury Marquis is such a car, and this one was found in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service yard last month. Since Ford built the Grand Marquis all the way through the demise of the Panther platform— and Mercury itself— in 2011, it's easy for us to forget that the model name started out as just the plain old Marquis, back in the 1967 model year, with the Grand appellation used for the car's top trim level. While today's Junkyard Gem has some of the features of the Grand Marquis and Marquis Brougham trim levels for 1979 (notably the padded vinyl landau roof and power windows), it lacks the huge chrome lower-body moldings of those cars. Instead, it's a regular Marquis 2-door sedan with a big load of expensive options. That landau roof has suffered greatly from its decades beneath the vinyl-disintegrating California sun. The Panther platform was a big technological upgrade from the late-1950s-vintage chassis technology of full-sized Fords of the 1960s and 1970s, and it stayed in front-line service in much the same form through 2011. Though its ride and handling were much improved, the 1979 Marquis was quite a bit smaller than its predecessors, and that caused some grumbling among Mercury shoppers. Some ham-handed junkyard shoppers really tore up the interior of this car while extracting a few bits and pieces, but we can still admire the Pine Green pleather of the glorious Twin Comfort Lounge front seats. You had two engine choices when buying a new '79 Marquis: the base 302-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) Windsor V8 making 129 horsepower or the optional 351-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) Windsor V8 rated at 138 horsepower. This one appears to be the 351, the same engine as had been swapped into the pizza-delivery Mercury I drove in the middle 1980s. New cars sold in California around this time had these giant emissions-numbers stickers on the side glass. Later, they went on the underside of the hood.