Category Archives: customer satisfaction

Ford EV Charging Network Grows by 25%

Ford Motor said today that customers can now access three new charging providers – Francis Energy, Blink and Red E across the US. and Canada with embedded charger routing and simple payment options via FordPass. The three new companies bring more than 10,000 new chargers to the network, including more than 550 new DC fast chargers. Blink, Francis Energy and Red E join the existing BlueOval Charge Network providers: Shell Recharge Solutions, Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, FLO, EV Connect, and Electric Circuit for a total of ~106,000 charging stations. Continue reading

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Ford Recalls Explorer SUVs for Loss of Power, Rollaways

Ford Motor Company is recalling ~240,000 2020-2022 model year Explorer SUVs because the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect. This leads to a sudden loss of power or vehicle roll-away if the parking brake is off. This is an expansion and correction of two previous recalls.* Ford’s previous recall repair was to add a software update that automatically applies the electronic service parking brake to keep the vehicle from rolling away in the event of a driveshaft failure. However, there is no safety remedy addressing the failed rear axle horizontal mounting bolt. Continue reading

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Unifor GM Master Bargaining Agreement Voting Underway

Under the succinct heading of “A Pattern Worth Fighting For,” Unifor has released to its Canadian autoworker members the GM Master Bargaining Agreement, recommending that the membership vote to approve it this weekend. Significantly, General Motors has committed to a moratorium on facility closures over the life of the collective agreement by amending and renewing the existing Letter of Understanding. Continue reading

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UAW Shifts Tactics – No New Strike Actions Today

Shawn Fain in a Facebook Live broadcast this morning once again caught the Detroit Three Automakers napping when he said “We’re entering a new phase of this fight, and it demands a new approach. We’re not announcing expansion of our strike, but we are prepared at any time to call on more locals to stand up and walk out… So tomorrow, I’m calling all of our UAW members and our allies to head to a picket line,” in a show of support for all workers. Continue reading

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Chrysler Recalls ~273,000 Ram Pickups for Software Glitch

The recalled Ram trucks began  production on 25 June 2021, when the first 2022 MY vehicle was produced, and ended on 2 August 2023, when vehicles were no longer built with an incompatible rear-view camera system and radio combination. Similar vehicles not included in this recall are equipped with a compatible rear-view camera and radio combination or were built after the suspect period. Continue reading

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Nissan Recalls All 2023 Ariya EVs for Sudden Power Loss

Nissan North America is recalling all 2023 Ariya crossover electric vehicles. The inverter software may detect a short circuit and shut down the EV system, resulting in a loss of drive power. The latest programing glitch with EVs was made … Continue reading

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GM Employees in India Start Hunger Strike

The GM employee’s union in India started “an indefinite relay hunger strike” on 2 October, demanding that the workforce of General Motors’ Talegaon plant be absorbed by Hyundai Motors India as the plant is sold. General Motors Employees Union in … Continue reading

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NHTSA Expands Ford Engine Failure Probe to 700,000 Vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation released today documents that shows it has expanded a preliminary Ford engine failure inquiry to an engineering analysis that covers more than 700,000 vehicles and questions Ford’s previous attempts to fix the safety defect. Explorer, Bronco, Edge Lincoln Nautilus, Aviator SUVs, as well as The F-150 pickup truck from 2021-2022 model years are susceptible to sudden loss of engine power. Continue reading

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Brand Loyalty Down Again for New Vehicles

“As vehicle availability increased and more choices hit the market for consumers, loyalty among brands as a whole saw a decline this year,” said Tyson Jominy, vice president of data & analytics at J.D. Power. “Additionally, owners were tied down to their vehicles for longer than normal due to ongoing supply chain disruptions, and as a result were more likely to experience problems with their vehicles.” Continue reading

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Power Loss Recall – Genesis G80, GV80, GV70 SUVs

“The low-pressure fuel pump assemblies in the recalled vehicles may contain impellers that do not meet current material characteristic specifications, potentially leading to deformation. Deformation of the impeller could cause the impeller to interfere with the fuel pump housing, resulting in a mechanical resistance that could lead to a shutdown of the fuel pump,” Hyundai said. Hyundam Industrial Co. in Korea is the maker of the defective fuel pump module. Continue reading

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UAW Big Three Strike Continues

“They pretend that the sky will fall if we get our fair share of the quarter of a trillion dollars the Big Three has made over the past decade,” UAW President Shawn Fain says in the video. “They want to say that our righteous fight for a higher quality of life for the working class would wreck the economy. We’re not going to wreck the economy; we’re going to wreck their economy because it only works for the billionaire class.” Fain is the first president in UAW history directly elected by members. Continue reading

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EV Grid Unlock – BMW, Ford, Honda Create ChargeScape

BMW Group, Ford Motor Company and American Honda Motor Company today announced that they have entered into an agreement to create ChargeScape, LLC, a new equally owned company that will create a single, platform connecting electric utilities, automakers and interested … Continue reading

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Elena Ford and William Clay Ford III in New Roles at Ford Motor

Ford also announced that Lisa Materazzo, previously Toyota’s top marketing executive in North America, is joining Ford as global chief marketing officer effective today, reporting to Ford President and CEO Jim Farley. At Toyota, Materazzo also held positions at Lexus and Scion. At Ford, Materazzo will lead advanced product planning and all marketing activities across Ford Blue, Ford Model e and Ford Pro. She will also oversee Ford Performance and Lincoln. Senior Marketing positions have experienced some churn at Ford recently. Continue reading

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Audi E-Tron and Porsche Taycan EVs Recalled for Battery Fires

Battery fires pose a public health threat since they cannot be extinguished with conventional first-responder tools. Continue reading

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Ford Recalls 2023 Super Duty Pickups for Failing Axles

Personnel at the axle shaft supplier Mid-West Forge Corp. in Ohio entered an incorrect process parameter into one of the two machines that perform electromagnetic induction heat treatment of the recalled left rear axle shafts. The axle shafts did not meet Ford’s torsional yield and case depth design specifications in the fractured area. Returned parts had fractured at ~44 mm from the flange, indicating an area of incomplete induction heat treatment. Continue reading

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