Category Archives: engineering

Ford Recalls for Diesel Pumps, Seat Belts, Rearview Cameras

Posted on 30 March 2026 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is conducting recalls for more than 252,000 vehicles for a variety of safety defects including electrical system programming management and manufacturing assembly errors. The largest involves the loss of the rearview camera image and advanced driver assistance (ADAS) systems, including pre-collision assist, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring on model year 2022-2025 Lincoln Navigator, 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2025 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer vehicles. Continue reading →

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Milestones – Acura Celebrates 40th Birthday

Posted on 27 March 2026 by Ken Zino

My own personal experience and respect for Acura came in 1990. Covering the auto business Acura debuted of the groundbreaking NSX. This mid-engine sports car that would establish new levels of performance, refinement and drive-ability at a relatively inexpensive price compared to, oh, Ferrari and Porsche. I remembered a conversation with the esteemed and estimable John Dinkel of Road&Track who I had known years before I joined the magazine as its Detroit editor. Having gone to Japan to drive the car prior to its introduction, John – when I asked about it – just shook his head and said “they are going to own the world.” This opinion was not contested among the entire R&T staff as I recall. Ferrari performance, Japanese quality and an undervalued price. Continue reading →

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Corvette Grand Sport to Share LS6 6.7L V8 with Sting Ray

Posted on 26 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“Grand Sport has always been the Corvette for drivers who want the spirit of a race car in a package they can enjoy every day,” said Scott Bell, vice president of Global Chevrolet. “With the new Grand Sport and Grand Sport X, we’ve taken that formula into the mid-engine era, pairing a heritage-rich design with the most advanced Corvette technologies we’ve ever offered. The Grand Sport model has historically acted as a high-volume player in the Corvette lineup. We expect the Stingray and Grand Sport lineup combined to account for the vast majority of Corvette sales.” Continue reading →

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Magna Increases Its Hybrid Drive Offerings

Posted on 24 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“Magna’s approach to electrification is centered on giving our customers flexible pathways forward,” said Diba Ilunga, President Magna Powertrain. “DHD REX reflects our commitment to adaptable, customer‑focused solutions that support a wide range of performance and market expectations.” Continue reading →

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IIHS – 63 Vehicles Earn 2026 Top Safety Pick Awards

Posted on 24 March 2026 by Ken Zino

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety* today said that with new more stringent imperatives 63 vehicles qualify for the IIHS awards thus far. That is up from 48 at the same time last year. Of the winners, 45 earn a … Continue reading →

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California Ballot Scheme Limiting Robocar Liability Criticized

Posted on 19 March 2026 by Ken Zino

Uber announced today a partnership to put 50,000 Rivian Robotaxis on the road, including in San Francisco, the site of the Cruise AV crash with a pedestrian and Fire Truck. This comes as powerful corporate and legal interests are embattled in a fight over an upcoming California ballot initiative in November limiting victims’ medical recovery in all accident cases. Opponents claim it will prevent the seriously injured from finding contingency fee attorneys, making it difficult to sue robocar operators, manufacturers, or any reckless driver or automaker.

“This is a naked power grab by Uber to remove liability for its robotaxis and accelerate their rollout without accountability when their robotaxis harm or kill pedestrians and other drivers,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit that issued a report, “License To Kill: How Uber’s Rush To Close Courthouse Doors And Roll Out Robocars Threatens Public Safety.” Continue reading →

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First Look – Genesis GV60 Magma Performance EV

Posted on 18 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“In a very short period of time, our engineers achieved something truly remarkable,” stated Manfred Harrer, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D Division. “They created a car that is not only fast, but truly Genesis; a car that inspires confidence and provides a true emotional connection.” Continue reading →

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Sudden Power Loss – Ford Motor Recall Parade Persists

Posted on 16 March 2026 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling ~48,000 model year 2025 Ranger, Mustang, Maverick,  and Lincoln Nautilus vehicles. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve may fail, resulting in an unexpected loss of drive power. Affected vehicles are equipped with suspect Korean-made EGR valves installed in the 2.0-liter Gas, and 2.0-liter Hybrid Engines.

“Customers may initially experience weak acceleration, engine vibration, a no start condition, or a check engine light,” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning. Ford is operating under a consent order from NHTSA because of its previous handing of recalls Continue reading →

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GM Expands Owners’ Manual Recalls

Posted on 16 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge as required by U.S. safety regulations. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed 13 April 2026, GM said in the required safety defect filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  (NHTSA) this morning. Continue reading →

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Porsche AG Reorganization 2.0 or The New Strategy 2035

Posted on 11 March 2026 by Ken Zino

Porsche AG (P911.DE) said today at the company’s annual press conference in Stuttgart that it is shifting into the next gear in the realignment of the company and its product portfolio, which began in 2025 after disastrous financial results.*

“Since I took office, our management team has systematically analyzed the situation and begun a series of initial targeted measures. These include the consistent application of our Value over Volume principle, especially in the difficult market environment of China; and the quality-oriented ramp-up of production of the all-electric Cayenne,” said the new CEO, Dr Michael Leiters. Continue reading →

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Instrument Panel Display Failures – Honda, Acura Recalls

Posted on 9 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“Due to software defects, the instrument cluster and center infotainment display can go blank while the vehicle is in operation. When the condition occurs, the instrument cluster will not display vehicle information, including but not limited to the speedometer, tachometer, warning telltales, and indicator lamps,” Honda said in the required safety defect recall filing made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this morning. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls 850,000 Bronco, Edge SUV Rear View Cameras

Posted on 9 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“On affected vehicles, the APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) may experience a temporary thermal shutdown condition for up to five minutes. When the APIM shutdown occurs, customers lose the ability to display the Rear View Camera (RVC) image while in reverse gear,” Ford said in the required safety defect filing documents made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this morning. Continue reading →

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Silverado and GMC HD Pickups Recalled for Sudden Stalling

Posted on 9 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“In these vehicles, the driver may not be warned if the rear fuel pump does not transfer adequate fuel to the front tank, which can cause a stall,” GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which publicly released the required safety defect recall documents this morning. Continue reading →

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Jeep Wrangler Finally Fixes Crash-Test Tipping

Posted on 6 March 2026 by Ken Zino

The 2026 Jeep Wrangler 4-door remained upright during the driver-side small overlap crash test, resolving a longstanding issue with the popular SUV, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said today. The improved result came after changes were made to the frame rail.*

“Wranglers built after October 2025 earn an acceptable small overlap rating, which combines results from the driver-side and passenger-side tests. While the vehicle provides solid protection overall, in the passenger-side test, it showed a high risk of injury to the front passenger’s right foot and leg,” IIHS said. Continue reading →

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Volvo Cars – 2.5 Million Software Upgrades Are Now Free

Posted on 3 March 2026 by Ken Zino

“This update is one of the largest over-the-air updates in automotive history, leveraging years of investment in Volvo Cars’ tech stack to improve life with their cars for millions of people,” says Anders Bell, chief engineering and technology officer at Chinese-owned Volvo Cars. “Our new user experience delivers significant updates and improvement in areas most used by drivers, and directly addresses the needs and desires of our customers.” Continue reading →

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