Auto News
News volume 1: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/news/
News volume 2: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/news2/
Ford's CEO is throwing a fit over tariffs now, saying they benefit Japanese automakers. It really is comical, coming from someone who has owned almost exclusively Ford-produced vehicles over the years. Ford already shot itself in the foot due to excessively poor quality control, now, Ford is going to be a tariff victim. Maybe if they sourced components from within the US, not overseas, they could be turning that around.
https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-trump-tariffs-cost-2-billion-benefit-japanese-rivals-2025-7
The fun continues.
Ford recalls close to a million vehicles. The problem this time: stalling due to fuel starvation.
Many vehicles affected. From Mustang cars, to SUV's , light pickups and all the way up to even the heavy duties (450, 550 )
2021 and up.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V455-7716.pdf
@imperator when I saw this I just shook my head.. here we go again.. What has happened to Ford?
@imperator Ford, Ford, Ford. What have you done?
FTC slams Car Shield:
@chucktobias welcome news for consumers
Here's a video that shows a mechanic's recent experience with an aftermarket warranty company denying a claim on a very flimsy basis:
@chucktobias I agree with the person that commented: "If they are still in business then the government didn't go far enough." But I do applaud the FTC for their efforts so far.
Thanks for posting this.
@avalon04 Agreed. Last I checked committing fraud was a criminal offense. If you want to send a message, then the mastermind should be locked up. A few million is a just an inconvenient tax for some of these companies. Business as usual.
Ford's poor quality saga continues: Ford has issued a recall for more than 694,000 Bronco Sport and Escape vehicles due to a fire hazard.
@hixster Ford is at it again: Ford lost a whopping $4.8 Billion in EV Sales last year according to recent filings. Proof that the average American does not want EVs! https://www.autonews.com/ford/an-ford-q4-2025-earnings-0210/
@fishingandcarsenthusiast123 that's a massive amount of coin to lose. Wonder how Farley plans to make it up... Surely he wouldn't add those losses onto new vehicle prices?
@hixster @imperator @chucktobias probably Jim Farley will sue Scotty for defamation as he always says in his video titles that he’s getting sued haha 🤣
Interesting article about a "liberal" arts college saving Mechanics with the help of Jay Leno
@nightworker Moved to "News II" topic with tracking removed from link. (Jay Leno is a class act!)
General Motors Update
You might remember the 6.2L engine fiasco that has been happening in the last few years (class action lawsuit ongoing).
Seem 2025's are no better. 1,157 reports of failure so far. Often failing just after being purchased, or sometimes not even making it to the customer! (FYI these are bottom end problems ... not related to notorious lifter failure). No replacements available. No timeframe. Those that did manage to get replacements ... those engines are failing too.
NHTSA is investigating 286,000 vehicles. (on top of the previous 600k )
The Car Guy Online - NEW GM Engine Failures at 1,000 Miles! NHTSA Opens MASSIVE Investigation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gz2204Da4
On another note ....
GM wants parts makers to pull supply chains from China (November 12, 2025)
Shilpan Amin, GM’s global purchasing chief, said at a conference last month that the risk of supply disruptions has forced the automaker to move away from simply tapping the lowest-cost countries. “Resiliency is important — making sure you have more control over your supply chain and you know exactly what is coming where,” he said.
Worries over potential factory disruptions flared again late last month, when an intellectual-property dispute between Chinese and Dutch authorities led China to halt shipments from supplier Nexperia, which sells cheap computer chips that go into electronics in cars worldwide
Meanwhile, GM has expanded the production of ICE trucks and SUV's (their money makers) in the USA (Michigan, Kansas and Tennessee)
The Detroit giant and many of its U.S. competitors have pulled back on some goals around production of electric vehicles as demand has been weaker than expected
Trump signed new tax and budget legislation in July ...
... that eliminates fines for failures to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules, a move that makes it easier to build more gas-powered vehicles. GM previously paid $128.2 million in penalties for 2016 and 2017 for failing to meet requirements. The sweeping tax and budget legislation approved by Congress in early July will also eliminate the $7,500 tax credits for buying or leasing new electric vehicles on September 30, which is expected to hit already slowing EV growth.
NHTSA: Enough! Your band-aids aren't working.
GM now under official investigation for the 6.2L engines. Again.
@imperator poor quality won't be fixed by changing the oil's viscosity or by replacing the engine with another of the same quality... simply pathetic.
Seems 2015-2017 F-150s with the 6R80 are going to be recalled soon for similar problem that affected earlier models from the 12th generation.
Seems as the 6R80 ages, certain electronics still start breaking down, and when the TCM doesn't detect a signal from either speed sensor, the transmission goes into 1st gear again, even if you're driving on the highway. It's almost exactly like what would happen to certain 12th generation F-150s. I suspect this is going to be another lead frame or valve body related issue.
@justin-shepherd
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/nhtsa-probes-nearly-13-million-ford-f-150-trucks-over-unexpected-downshifts-265088.html
"NHTSA Probes Nearly 1.3 Million Ford F-150 Trucks Over Unexpected Downshifts"
The 10R80 is affected too. Why is the NHTSA taking so long? It's been almost a year since they opened the investigation. Wheels locking up is pretty dangerous.
I'm not sure. I already tell people in other forums to not buy 2018+ F-150s. I'm part of a Facebook group for 12th Gen F-150s (2009-2014) and a few people have been wondering whether or not Ford fixed their transmission problems. I've told them that they haven't.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/ford-recalls-over-422000-vehicles-over-windshield-wiper-issue
Ford is now recalling 2021-2023 Navigators, Expeditions and Super Duty pickups due to defective wiper arms. I guess the wiper arms can break, or start wiping unexpectedly. Ford is just adding to this year's already embarrassingly high recalls. 72% of this year's recalls so far are Ford products.
GM settles with California over selling drivers' data without their knowledge or consent.
https://www.motor1.com/news/795379/general-motors-fined-selling-driver-data/
(Yet another reason to stick with older vehicles that have no connectivity.)
Your DMV sells your personal data too (and it's endorsed by law)
True, but the DMV does not have the kind of in-depth data that is provided by onboard vehicle monitoring as performed by modern "connected" cars.
@chucktobias "Sir, we need a sample of your DNA to complete this transaction.."
Crazy stuff happening in central Texas over the past few days, as the Guadalupe River rose to record levels in a matter of hours, and spilled its banks. It's a bad situation.
I don't know how many homes are under water but I think Kerville got the brunt of it and it's a city of 24,000.
Over a hundred lives have been lost. Among them a children's Summer camp.
I hope our Texas members members pull through. 💪
@imperator the cars and other debris lodged in trees serve as reminder of the destructive power of water.
"An Engineer's Perspective on the Texas Floods"
https://youtu.be/3FfMzWa6LKg
@imperator we should thank that company who made that product and sped up his return 😂
@imperator it's hard for a workaholic to retire. He'd likely go stir crazy.
The recall affects 312000, 2025 Lincoln Navigator, F-150, Expedition, Bronco, and Ranger vehicles.
"The remedy for this program is an EBB module software update. Ford is anticipated to begin Ford Software Update or Lincoln Software Update Over-The-Air (OTA) deployment to update the EBB module software for affected vehicles in August 2025. Alternatively, owners will have the option to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to complete the software update. There will be no charge for this service."
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V488-4203.pdf
The fun is still ongoing with these Ford recalls. Apparently, Ford is now having issues with their parking pawls and rear axles. They can fail and F-150s that are parked on slopes without setting the E-brake can come out to their trucks having rolled away.
Now, the NTSB is investigating Ford. Scotty says Stellantis are the Three Stooges in automobile manufacturing, I'm starting to think it's now Ford. https://unionrayo.com/en/ford-recalling-pickup-truck/ At least Stellantis knows how to make a parking pawl and a rear axle.
@justin-shepherd Why does the media keep repeating the "best selling truck" lie.
Probably a technicality, GM requires two different sub-brands to say they sell more- but they do sell more. One sub-brand is a more "premium" brand than the other, I think (Chevy Silverado vs GMC Sierra, I'm not a GM guy so correct me if I'm wrong). They're on the same chassis, too, and GM sells more of them combined than Ford does its F-150. I remember Ford tried offering a Lincoln-based version of the F-150 that went nowhere.
@justin-shepherd it's the same truck with different make-up
Interesting, thanks for that. I figured the GMC Sierra was the slightly more premium version based on advertisements I've seen. They advertise both the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra on Pluto TV, the Chevy seems more like the family truck vs the Sierra.
@justin-shepherd They're the same truck. Many years ago GMC trucks used to be built heavier and had their own line of heavy-duty truck engines not based on any other GM product. That time has long since passed.
I'm still stuck the past, then, lol. I just watched another ad with the Sierra and it basically was just wilderness behind it, the Chevy Silverado's ads only mentioned off-roading in the last 10 seconds or so.
I'm guessing all that went permanently went the way of the dodo after GM declared bankruptcy.
@justin-shepherd The GMC engines were very heavy duty for their time with extra lubrication and cooling built in. They even had the camshaft in a special trough that always had oil so there would be no dry starts for the cam. There was also a V12 version for larger trucks!
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/six-packs-for-the-working-class/
Chevy seems more like the family truck vs the Sierra.
And this is exactly what GM is banking on. GM knows people still have this notion at the back of their minds that they're different. and it's the ONLY reason they keep the two brands around. Chevy was always the blue collar working guy's truck. GMC was targeted to a more affluent or upper middle class demographic. The site foremen. The white hardhats or maybe the pencil pushers. The truth is they roll off the same assembly line at the same plant, with the same parts. It's a marketing strategy to leverage image to gain more market share...
Just like "Best selling truck" is a marketing gimmick. The Ford fanboys want to believe really badly that they're buying the most popular truck. It's very important to them, and Ford knows that.
I'm guessing all that went permanently went the way of the dodo after GM declared bankruptcy.
Looong before that. Decades.
I drive a GMC and it's pretty bare-bones. My old 2000 Chevy Astro was luxury compared to this. That's what cost cutting does.
All this marketing for the masses is expected from a corporate car maker (whos main source of income is financing by the way). I have more of a problem with the media falling for the marketing, and touting the lies. They're supposed to be unbiased and investigative, not for hire.
Well Ford is at it again.. Almost half a million Ford/Lincoln SUVs are being recalled due to a rear brake hose that is faulty, causing the brake system to lose fluid, and increase stopping distance: thus increasing crash risks. Ford claims they don't have a fix, and won't have one until April of next year. Why can't Ford figure out how to fix a leaky brake system? Is there one person with brain cells in that company? https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a65921786/ford-edge-lincoln-mkx-suvs-brake-hose-failure-recall/
@fishingandcarsenthusiast123 over 3 million recalls this year alone. that's amazing to me.
@fishingandcarsenthusiast123 wow all the way back to 2015
@fishingandcarsenthusiast123 This is insane. Hydraulic brakes have been around for over 100 years (Duesenberg had them in 1920) and Ford can't figure out how to make reliable brake hoses, or how to replace defective ones? The mind boggles.
@chucktobias @imperator as long as the inmates run the asylum Ford will continue to be a sinking ship.
Ford is at risk of losing loyal customers over this recall fiasco. https://www.thestreet.com/automotive/ford-reliability-questioned-after-recall
I would say this is true. I won't touch any Ford that's newer than 2017. Ford started having quality problems with EVAP systems as happens on my Mustang, or oil consumption issues on newer Coyote V8s.
The fact that Ford's fuel injectors leak. Engineers should have that down to a science after almost 50 years producing them. Ford recalled the injectors, and they were too cheap to replace them. Ford's bean counters opted to update software to detect fuel leaks-then they messed that up and recalled them again. Personally, that really took the cake for me. I'm not interested in driving around a possible molotov cocktail.
@justin-shepherd That's incredible. Both that they have the leak problem and the way they attempted to "fix" it. Heck, the ORIGINAL fuel injectors on my 1986 Saab don't leak and still work just fine after nearly 40 years.
Idk what happened to Ford. They're a very different company compared to 17 years ago. It was the only domestic auto manufacturer to not need gov't bailout money during the financial crisis. That was back when Volvo was partnering with Ford and most of their cars were pretty reliable. Volvo has since been bought out by the Chinese, I believe.
I'm guessing the bean counters took over starting around 2015 and quality started gradually going downhill. First, with EVAP systems, as evidenced by my Mustang.
At this point, had Ford recalled and replaced the fuel injectors, they would have avoided this embarrassment.
@justin-shepherd The marketing is strong, and Ford customers are fiercely, but blindly loyal. It'll be a while yet before all the cost-cutting starts affecting sales figures.
Unfortunately, this is pretty true. I'm in a Facebook group that's dedicated to the 2009-2014 F-150, and some guy wondered about getting a brand new F-150. I told him to pass if you value your money, and told him about all of the recalls affecting the 10-speed, etc. He took my advice.
Heck, Ford recalled cars because their brakes could possibly not do their job. Ford really has become a hot mess. Haha.
@justin-shepherd Wow its crazy. Fords are completely unreliable- I learned from my mistake I am going the Japanese route next time.
Toyota will recall at least 6,000 2025 4WD Tacomas for breaking driveshafts.
These are 4th generation Tacomas (2023-) built on Toyota's new Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform.
@imperator Big Mistake Toyota- why can’t they just stick to what they know works?
They probably have to cut costs to compete
Get this... Ford announces new leadership changes! Bryce Currie, currently responsible for American Manufacturing, will now be in charge of manufacturing globally. Also, Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue and the Model E, will also oversee Lincoln motor company.
According to CEO Jim Farley, "These global leadership appointments underscore our relentless commitment to building a truly world-class team across Ford, united by a singular focus: delivering product excellence and quality for our customers globally," said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO."
Farley can talk all he wants about 'quality' but until Ford's recall rate goes down, I will not believe a word I hear from him!
Article link: https://performanceracing.com/magazine/industry-news/10-09-2025/ford-announces-key-leadership-changes
After meeting with Xi Jinping in China, Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, is greenlighting the import of Chinese EV cars into Canada. China has graciously agreed to relax (not remove) tariffs on some Canadian food exports as reward.
Somehow, I don't think the pea farmers will be rushing out to buy EV's with all their money.
Another GM transmission recall...
(Surprise, it's the 10-speed transmission again.)
@chucktobias hmmm wheels locking up. Is this the same trans as the Ford 10R80
@imperator Yes, it's the transmission that Ford and GM developed together - and the one that left both companies swearing they would never collaborate again.
@chucktobias so you mean neither wants to take responsibility 🤣
https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/recalls/2026/03/18/ford-recall-bronco-edge/89218972007/
Seems Ford still can't get their backup cameras right. Now, something in the accessory protocol interface module can overheat, leading to a blank backup screen. The recall affects the 2021-26 Ford Bronco and 2021-26 Ford Edge.
I don't know why people need backup cameras. I was taught to look in all of my mirrors before backing up. My Mustang has a backup camera and I don't use it. The backup camera screen even says check surroundings before backing up.
@justin-shepherd the cameras are indispensable when hooking up trailers by yourself.
Yeah, I didn't think about that one. Even with backup cameras, people are backing into stuff. Someone backed into My father-in-law's SUV, and the car who did it had backup cameras.
@justin-shepherd also, I drive a van. Anything behind me that's below the window line is invisible. The only way to check what's there is to get out and look.
My father-in-law has a 2000 E-350 as well that's his beater van. Prior to that, he used to drive 18-wheelers for a living, so I guess he and I are partly accustomed not having them. 18-wheelers didn't have backup cameras until more recently, I'm told.
I called it. Ford is now recalling 2015-2017 Ford F-150s due to faulty lead frames. Unlike 12th generation F-150s where Ford did no voluntary lead frame replacements, if thirteenth gen F-150s fail certain parameters, Ford will replace them.
@justin-shepherd same issue the previous generation had. Should I be shocked they didn’t fix the problem in 2015? Probably not
@justin-shepherd One of the best cars I ever owned was a Ford. Never had a problem with it despite heavy use and abuse. It was a 1966 model. (How the mighty have fallen!)
I figured Ford had corrected the problem by the time it produced my current truck, which is a 2014. It doesn't have any of those recalls. I would've thought Ford just updated the programming for the TCM as they built new ones to default into 3rd gear if they flash the wrench light after 2014. I guess not.
You're right, how the mighty have fallen. I'm sure it costs millions to recall these things, which ultimately wipes out any "savings" for the stockholder. Not to mention Ford itself now has a black eye for possible transmission failure.
It's simple, you can only cut corners so much before it bckfires. This is what's happening with Ford and many other manufacturers. Using cheaper materials and cutting corners does have consequences.
Not directly related to cars, but it's related to the right-to-repair controversy. He has John Deere tractors and he's pushing for the right to repair his own equipment. It relates to cars, because auto manufacturers have been toying with the same ideas for years. Trying to make dealerships the only ones that can repair cars to me violates the Anti-Trust Act.
What's ridiculous is something as dumb as a failed alternator can shut the machine down and it will not start back up until a certified John Deere tech installs a new one. All it is, is a money grab for John Deere.
@justin-shepherd Luckily, you have choices. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tractor_manufacturers
Well unfortunately Ford is at it again making dumb mistakes, this time not a recall though. Ford is discontinuing its ICE Lincoln Corsair and Ford Escape after 2026 model year to make way for a new EV, not the strongest seller. Will Ford ever learn that Americans won’t buy into the whole EV Stuff?
@fishingandcarsenthusiast123 they want to be hip like Tesla. I've never even heard of the corsair.
@imperator the corsair is the Lincoln version of the escape. I still don't get it- when will these companies learn that just because Tesla is doing EVs doesn't mean it's a good idea
Supra owners take notice..
@hixster Oh wow, German engineers prove that quality control is not in their dictionary- again..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryG8n_P0mqM
New 2024/25 turbocharged Tundras continue to grenade and seize main bearings. These are NOT (yet) part of the recall. Owners have been waiting for months for replacement short blocks. Aftermarket warranty companies are installing junkyard engines. Problems aren't just engines either.
@imperator perhaps it's been at a slower rate than other companies, still manufacturing quality is steadily declining at Toyota too.
it's pretty bad. If you were looking at a new full size truck, the best options right now would appear to be GM or RAM
Ford has had 115 recalls this calendar year so far, and we're only in mid-October. This time, gasoline cars and trucks with block heaters are the culprit: https://www.carscoops.com/2025/10/after-46-fires-ford-issues-urgent-recall-and-stop-sale-order/
The recall affects Broncos, Bronco Sports, Fusions, Mavericks, Explorers, Escapes, Rangers the Lincoln MKC and Corsair.
There aren't too many block heaters in US Fords, but I have a 2014 F-150 that was originally sold in Toronto, Canada, and it has a block heater, so they're around.
@justin-shepherd many of us have block heaters up here 😁
I honestly didn't know they made block heaters for gasoline engines until I bought my current truck. Gasoline is so much more volatile than kerosene or diesel, I didn't think they really needed it.
@justin-shepherd it's not just for the fuel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_heater#Purpose