Auto Industry News: Ford Recalls 1.3 Million Vehicles, Moves Forward on AV Partnership with Volkswagen, & Back the Blue Blood Drive Uses Cars For a Good Cause

The Big 3 face some big recalls, with Ford leading the charge on over a million vehicles. However, that doesn’t seem to be affecting its new deal with Volkswagen concerning self-driving tech. Also in the news, automakers are preparing to fight passenger boredom in autonomous vehicles. (Which seems a little like putting the cart before the horse, as customers don’t even have a fully autonomous ride to get bored in yet.) The members of Projekt Cars and SoldierCon organized a Back the Blue Blood Drive with its signature blend of cosplay and car shows. And on the enthusiast’s turf, we have an exciting weekend of racing results to report. Let’s jump in, shall we?

Ford Recalls 1.3 Million Explorer SUVs and F-150 Trucks for Suspension Issues

American automaker Ford has issued a massive recall for more than a million vehicles due to a rear suspension flaw and transmission issues.

More than 1.2 million Explorer SUVs that came out of Ford’s Chicago assembly plant between 2011 and 2017 were built with faulty rear toe links that, as it turns out, can easily break when traveling over rough terrain. That breakage could lead to steering problems and cause accidents, with one customer already reporting the failure caused them to run over a curb after losing control. No serious injuries have been reported.

Ford feels confident the repair can be managed easily at local dealerships. The automaker promises to replace the two rear suspension toe links with stronger parts at no cost to affected customers.

Along with the massive recall of Explorers, the company also announced minor recalls for 12,000 Taurus and Flex models and some Lincoln MKS and MKT models sold in Canada for similar rear suspension problems. Ford is also recalling 123,000 2012-2013 F-150 pickups with 6-speed transmissions, which are suffering from unintentional downshifting into first gear. Additionally, about 4,300 Ford Econoline models being used as ambulances and school buses are caught up in the Ford recalls, as well, for substandard welding in the clutch.

Ford estimates the recalls will cost an estimated $180 million. “The expense will be reflected in our second quarter 2019 results,” stated the automaker. However, the company doesn’t see long-lasting negative effects, projecting that, “For the full year, we continue to expect Company-adjusted EBIT to be higher than in 2018.”

But Ford is not the only Detroit automaker facing recalls this month.

Both FCA and GM have some issues to work out, as well. FCA is recalling nearly 300,000 RAM 1500 pickups for potential airbag and seatbelt failure due to a software glitch. And GM is facing a slightly trickier issue as it attempts to sort out why seven of its diesel truck models are experiencing short circuits with their engine block heaters, resulting in potential fires.

Nineteen such fires have been reported already with, thankfully, no injuries. Unfortunately, GM has yet to determine a fix for the roughly 350,000 vehicles affected.

Want to learn more about how recalls happen? Click here.

Ford and Volkswagen to Partner on Autonomous Vehicles

After a long courtship, it looks like Ford and Volkswagen are finally closing in on a partnership concerning autonomous vehicles. According to Reuters, the two giant automakers already signed a deal in March to develop a new pickup truck. This new venture would see them “extending the alliance to include autonomous driving and mobility services, as well as Ford’s use of VW’s MEB electric-vehicle platform.”

Ford and Volkwagen are close to deal, concerning big investment in Ford's self-driving arm, Argo AI.
Ford and Volkwagen are close to deal, concerning big investment in Ford’s self-driving arm, Argo AI. Source: Future Car

VW Chief Executive Herbert Diess announced to roughly 500 of his company’s top managers that talks are “going well and are nearly complete.” Industry experts say to expect a formal announcement as soon as July.

The deal is likely to involve a massive investment in Argo AI, the Ford-backed autonomous vehicle startup with an evaluation of $4 billion. Last week, Argo successfully launched a new self-driving fleet of Ford Fusion Hybrids in Detroit. This expands its presence to five U.S. cities, according to Automotive News.

The new partnership between Ford and Volkswagen comes on heels of VW ending its prior affiliation with self-driving car software firm, Aurora Innovations. Aurora, in turn, announced only two days before that it too had moved on, working on autonomous platforms with FCA.

Consumers can expect to see more of these partnerships in the future, as car companies seek safe ways to offset the high R&D costs of advanced tech and cleaner, greener vehicle options. “We both came to the same realization that as big as our balance sheets are, no company can do this alone,” said Ford Chairman Bill Ford.

Automakers to Use Virtual Reality to Tackle Passenger Boredom in Self-Driving Cars

While Ford and Volkswagen finalize a deal to work on their own autonomous driving tech, other automakers like Audi and Nissan are exploring it on a whole other level. Reuters reports that several car companies are kicking around the idea of building in VR technology to keep passengers entertained during self-driving car rides.

Yes. Seriously.

While this might sound like a hilariously far-fetched, first-world problem, many automotive execs seem really hung up on making sure their passengers aren’t bored. “Once customers do not need to drive anymore…then the question is what kind of things can we offer to customers inside this car,” Boris Meiners, senior director of Audi China’s Digital Business and Customer Experience, told Reuters on the sidelines of the CES Asia technology tradeshow in Shanghai this week.

Audi subsidiary, holoride, demonstrated its unique intention for in-car VR as a way for passengers to go “swimming” with whales or even experience an under-sea adventure through wrecked ships. It is also exploring games and visualizations to provide entertainment and help combat carsickness.

“Rather than the driver, we want to focus on the riding experience for all passengers, including the driver,” said Tetsuro Ueda, expert leader at the Nissan Research Center, who is exploring its own VR headset technology. “When it comes to the stage of autonomous driving, the driver’s control is less and less, and the interaction with the surrounding passengers is increasing.”

While the future of self-driving cars is undeniable, this feels REALLY premature. We’re not sure fighting boredom in self-driving cars is a huge concern at the moment. More likely, companies are eager to incorporate this type of tech as a selling point for advertisers, meaning that there’s real potential for a future where you’ll see ads for next year’s make and model while you’re riding to work.

Projekt Cars and Team SoldierCon Organize Back the Blue Blood Drive

Projekt Cars and Team SoldierCon teamed up again to combine the best of both car shows and the cosplay community for good.

Their latest successful endeavor was the Back the Blue Blood Drive, in El Paso, Texas. Held in support of Officer Peter Herrera, a community police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop, the blood drive also raised awareness about the importance of donating blood. “El Paso suffered a devastating blow when we lost Officer Herrera, and the horrific incident demonstrated that we, as a community, need to sustain a bountiful blood bank,” explained organizer and car-builder-extraordinaire Carlos Molina.

“Although the purpose of the event was to bring in as many donors as possible, we provided some additional incentives for those who participated,” he continued. Namely car show awards, vendor giveaways, and meet-and-greets with talented cosplay actors.

Want to learn more about what Projekt Cars and SoldierCon do or get involved in an upcoming event? Click here for more information.

Around the Circuit

NASCAR Iowa Speedway

Christopher Bell dominated the field at Iowa Speedway this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ American Ethanol 250. He lead for 186 laps before finishing ahead of Cole Custer and Justin Allgaier for his fourth win of the season.

This is Bell’s second straight race in Iowa and his second on a significant holiday weekend. Bell also finished first in the OneMain Financial 400 on Mother’s Day to pair with his Father’s Day win yesterday.

The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series’ Iowa 200 was full of twists and turns—before, during, and after the race.

After getting rained out on Saturday and pushed to the following day, Brett Moffitt took home a win, despite finishing behind Ross Chastian. A failed post-race inspection penalty crowned Moffitt as the winner of the M&M’s 200 for the second year in a row and locked up a spot in the series playoffs.

“As a driver, I still know I got beat on the track, which is frustrating,” said Moffitt after the race. “I’d still rather take the checkered and be the first one to it, but I’ll take a win any way I can get it.”

While the drama after the race was clear, sparks flew on the track as well.

Austin Hill took offense to contact from Johnny Sauter and pushed his truck into the wall, leading to Sauter retaliating by spinning Hill out. The crash ended Sauter’s day and led to Hill taking 13th place. Hill was clear about his displeasure over the incident after the race. “If he wants to come talk to me about it he can,” Hill said. “But there won’t be nice words.”

NHRA Menards Heartland Nationals

During another gorgeous weekend of early summer weather at Bristol Dragway, we saw some incredible results on the NHRA front. Mike Salinas beat out defending champ, Steve Torrence, for the second win of his Top Fuel career. A 3.836-second pass allowed him to end Torrence’s five-race streak.

Bob Tasca III brought down the hammer as well, taking his first Funny Car win since 2012, and stopping his former teammate and living legend John Force from winning his 150th Funny Car Wally.

“I love racing him,” Tasca said of Force. “That was one of the biggest career wins for me simply because Ford came back to NHRA. I told them when I came back that I was going to win and I’m going to give you a car that runs for a championship.”

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