USA - Drive the Future of Tough tour offers an opportunity to test the toughest, smartest, most capable Super Duty ever.

• Drive the Future of Tough tour offers an early opportunity to test drive the toughest, smartest, most capable Super Duty ever
• 29-city tour continues through Nov. 13, with each site offering vehicle drives, interactive displays and towing demonstrations; product experts are on hand to answer questions on all-new Super Duty’s 17 class-exclusive smart new features
• Consumers can enter for a chance to win an all-new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty

Ford, America’s truck leader, is offering consumers across the United States an opportunity to test drive the all-new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty – the toughest, smartest, most capable Super Duty ever.

Drive the Future of Tough, a 29-city cross-country tour that kicked off earlier this year, continues through Nov. 13. Consumers can schedule test drives at SuperDutyDrive.com, though walk-up participation also is encouraged.

The test route allows truck consumers to experience the all-new Super Duty’s best-in-class capability and its 17 class-exclusive smart new features, including adaptive steering, adaptive cruise control and Trailer Reverse Guidance. Product experts are along for the ride to explain the innovations and answer questions.

“The new Super Duty takes the heavy-duty truck segment to the next level,” says Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager. “Truck customers can learn how it provides best-in-class towing and hauling, and they’ll get to experience Super Duty’s class-exclusive features from the best place possible – the driver’s seat.”

Participants can enter a sweepstakes to win an all-new 2017 F-Series Super Duty. Details are available at tour locations.

The tour includes a variety of well-equipped F-250, F-350 and F-450 models in Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trim levels. The trucks feature a mix of the 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine and 6.7-liter Power Stroke^®turbo diesel. F-250 models are equipped with the all-new TorqShift-G transmission.

The tour features interactive displays to help consumers understand how the all-new Super Duty is Built Ford Tough, starting with its high-strength steel frame construction and high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body and box panels.

Upcoming tour stops include:

• Aug. 16-20, Billings, Montana
• Aug. 19-21, San Antonio
• Aug. 20-28, Louisville, Kentucky
• Aug. 25-27, Dallas
• Sept. 2-5, Henderson, North Carolina
• Sept. 9-18, Puyallup, Washington
• Sept. 9-25, Reno, Nevada
• Sept. 13-15, Grand Island, Nebraska
• Sept. 15-18, Nashville, Tennessee
• Sept. 20-22, London, Ohio
• Sept. 21-Oct. 9, Anaheim, California
• Sept. 24-Oct. 1, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
• Sept. 30-Oct. 11, Dallas
• Oct. 6-8, Concord, North Carolina
• Oct. 13-16, Ormond Beach, Florida
• Oct. 18-20, Moultrie, Georgia
• Nov. 1-5, Las Vegas
• Nov. 8-13, Avondale, Arizona

Media will be invited to participate in select cities.

USA - Ford adds interior & exterior upgrades to offer stylish, value-oriented trucks with the STX Appearance Package.

• Ford adds special interior and exterior upgrades to offer stylish, value-oriented trucks with the STX Appearance Package for 2017 F-Series Trucks
• Positioned between XL work and XLT mid-level models, STX available for 2017 F-150 and Super Duty 
• Customers can order the STX package on F-150 in either SuperCab or SuperCrew and on Super Duty in any cab configuration from Ford dealers today

Ford, America’s truck leader, is giving entry-level truck customers a new option to find the truck of their dreams with great infotainment features and stylish design at an affordable price.

The STX Appearance Package will be available for 2017 F-150 and Super Duty trucks, building on the success of the previous generation F-150 STX. This will be the first time F-Series Super Duty is offered with the STX package.

“STX is for customers who want the utility of an F-Series truck in a stylish, well-optioned package at a competitive price,” said Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager. 

Positioned between the XL and XLT models, STX adds a stylish exterior and many interior features that aren’t normally available on the entry level F-150:

• 20-inch machined-aluminum wheels with dark gray painted pockets
• Black billet-style grille with body-color surround and black mesh insert
• Body-color front fascia and front and rear bumpers
• SYNC® 3 with 8-inch center stack touch screen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto™
• Privacy glass
• Unique black sport cloth seats with Flow-through Console and steering column-mounted shifter
• STX Sport Box decal
• Fog lamps
• Manual driver and passenger lumbar support

The F-150 with the STX package is available with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost, 5.0-liter V8 and 3.5-liter EcoBoost.

The Super Duty STX Appearance package brightens up the exterior with chrome features and unique badging. The package is available with either the 6.2-liter V8 gas engine, or the 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel, and adds the following to the XL trim:

• Bright chrome grille
• Chrome front and rear step bumpers
• STX fender vent badge
• Unique aluminum wheels
• Steering wheel-mounted cruise control
• Bright hub covers (SRW only)
• AM/FM stereo with single CD/MP3 player

Available in either SuperCab or SuperCrew configurations on F-150, and in all cab configurations in Super Duty, the STX package bundles numerous features together to give customers a great value truck.

The STX package is available to order through dealers on both models now.

The F-150 STX starts at: $35,615.

F-250 STX starts at $34,910, and F-350 STX starts at $36,080.

USA RECALL #12 - FORD - Improper Fit of Replacement Steering Gears.

RECALL Subject : Improper Fit of Replacement Steering Gears

Report Receipt Date: MAR 03, 2015 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 15E014000 

Component(s): STEERING 

Potential Number of Units Affected: 1,608 

Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company

SUMMARY:

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Motorcraft STG-454 service replacement steering gears manufactured July 1, 2014, to October 17, 2014. These steering gears are for use on 2008-2010 model year F-250 and F-350 vehicles equipped with 6.4L diesel engines. The affected steering gears may not install properly, and as a result, there may be insufficient clamp load on the joints which may cause the steering gear retention bolts to fracture.

CONSEQUENCE:

Steering gear retention bolt fractures may cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

REMEDY:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a spacer between the steering gear and the vehicle frame rail to ensure adequate clamp load on the joints, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 20, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S08.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

USA - Top ten most stolen cars in the USA

Cars continue to be stolen across the country, and whether they get scrapped for parts or driven to places unknown, there's one thing that remains certain. 

There are always those few cars that are more desirable to thieves than others. For the fifth year in a row, the Honda Accord has been named the most stolen vehicle equipped with a LoJack tracking device. Not what you were expecting? 

It looks like the owners of luxury vehicles can rest a little easier as their cars didn't even crack the top ten. Rounding out the top five spots were the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry and Corolla, and the Chevrolet Silverado. It looks like the car thieves of today are looking for practicality. But looking at this list, it's easy to see that a good majority of the vehicles are best-sellers, while some are no longer sold. Finishing up the list, we have the Acura Integra, Cadillac Escalade, Ford F-350, Nissan Altima, and Chevrolet Tahoe. 

While these may have been the ten most stolen models, there were still some other noteworthy vehicles that were stolen. A 1963 Cadillac convertible was the oldest car stolen, while a 2011 Porsche Panamera valued at $103,400 was the most expensive stolen car. 

Those who own any of the above cars may want to be extra careful where you park, especially if your car is black, as that was the most stolen color.

1 - Honda Accord

2 - Honda Civic

3 - Toyota Camry

4 - Toyota Corolla

5 - Chevrolet Silverado

6 - Acura Integra

7 - Cadillac Escalade

8 - Ford F-350

9 - Nissan Altima

10 - Chevrolet Tahoe 

REPORT HERE

The best ever Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks.

• Second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke^® V8 turbo diesel boosts horsepower to a class-leading 440 horsepower; torque to class-leading 860 lb.-ft. for all models
• F-450 chassis upgrades raise maximum gooseneck trailer towing capacity to class-leading 31,200 pounds, fifth wheel towing capacity to class-leading 26,500 pounds, and gross combined weight rating to a class-leading 40,000 pounds
• F-350 available with maximum towing package that increases fifth-wheel/gooseneck trailer towing capacity to 26,500 pounds, and raises the gross combined weight rating to 35,000 pounds

Ford F-Series Super Duty reinforces its leadership in the heavy-duty pickup truck market with engine and chassis upgrades for 2015 that together deliver best-in-class horsepower, torque and towing capacity.

Ford’s second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke^® V8 turbo diesel now boasts 440 horsepower, up from 400 horsepower, and 860 lb.-ft. of torque, up from 800 lb.-ft, across all Super Duty models from F-250 to F-450.

The 2015 F-450 tops the F-Series Super Duty pickup truck lineup with maximum towing capacity increasing to a class-leading 31,200 pounds, a gain of 6,500 pounds. The truck’s gross combined weight rating increases to a class-leading 40,000 pounds, a gain of 7,000 pounds.

F-350 increases maximum towing capacity as well, to 26,500 pounds, from 23,200 pounds, and the gross combined weight rating goes up 5,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds.

The improved ratings are a result of designing and engineering the truck as an integrated system. The approach enabled Ford engineers to optimize performance across the full Super Duty lineup.

“Our chassis people work in unison with our powertrain people to develop more than a great truck, it’s a machine engineered for work,” said Doug Scott, Ford Truck group marketing manager. “We’re the only manufacturer that develops and builds our own powertrains in this class and when you combine that with a chassis that’s purpose-built for best-in-class power and torque, you can feel the result in the way it drives, especially when towing big loads.”

“Our chassis people have worked in unison with our powertrain people to develop more than a great truck – it’s a machine engineered for work,” he adds.

Power Stroke Engine Improvements
The 2015 Super Duty achieves best-in-class towing performance with a second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel engine that was further developed to provide more power, torque and efficiency.

“The 6.7-liter Power Stroke was already a stout engine,” said Robert Fascetti, Ford vice president powertrain engineering. “The improvements we’ve made essentially give Super Duty customers an engine designed for our larger F-650 and F-750 trucks. They may not realize how tough this engine really is.”

Key innovations on the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel are its compacted graphite iron engine block and reverse-flow layout. This segment-exclusive design places the exhaust inside the engine’s V-shape, with while the air intake positioned on the outside resulting in a variety of advancements:

• Shorter airflow from the exhaust system to the new, larger turbocharger sitting between the engine’s cylinder banks improves turbo responsiveness – key to providing torque quickly to truck customers when they need it most
• Positioning the turbo inside the engine’s valley helps isolate the engine’s hottest temperatures, improving performance and efficiency, while also reducing noise, vibration and harshness to improve driver comfort

Enhancements include a larger turbocharger for faster air displacement resulting in more power. The engine block is made of compacted graphite iron, which is stronger yet lighter than cast iron, is more wear-resistant and has enhanced sealing properties.

“The designers of the original 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel predicted that it would eventually need to be upgraded for higher output,” said David Ives, Ford Power Stroke technical specialist. “They designed it in a way that made it easier to add a larger turbocharger, increasing airflow and creating more power for dramatically improved performance, yet we haven’t lost any efficiency.”

New injector tips spray a finer mist of fuel into the cylinders which provides a more complete burn and helps reduce noise, vibration and harshness. Other benefits include lower emissions and less fuel deposit buildup on the intake valves over time.

The engine enhancements give the Power Stroke engine a class-leading maximum output of 440 horsepower and 860 lb.-ft. of torque.

Chassis improvements
The F-350 is available with a high-capacity towing package that includes new front springs and a wide track axle, increasing the gross combined weight rating with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke engine from 31,900 pounds to 35,000 pounds.

Improvements to the F-450 that allow it to handle the increased tow rating include commercial- grade 19.5-inch wheels and tires; upgraded rear U-joints and suspension components, including new rear leaf springs; front and rear stabilizer bars; and shocks. The steering system has stronger gears and linkages and the fifth-wheel/gooseneck has an increased towing capacity. The brakes are larger brakes and feature new antilock brake calibration for enhanced braking performance.