Gallery: SEMA 2009: Bigfoot

SEMA 2009: Bigfoot still a crowd favorite, 35 years later originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ROUSH unveils liquid propane-powered Ford F-250

ROUSH unveils liquid propane-powered Ford F-250 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

REPORT: 2011 Ford F-150 to share new V8 with Mustang, also get EcoBoost V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you own a 2008 Ford F-Series truck, your Fun Friday is made less so by the news of a recall for your truck that involves its seats. Apparently, the front driver's seat on these trucks fail to comply with federal rules for seat back strength, as a weld that connects a bracket and the seat back could crack. The report didn't mention whether cracks have occurred during normal use of the seats or when they're subjected to high loads such as in an accident, though it did say no accidents or injuries had been reported due to the weak welds.

Of the 100,000+ vehicles subject to recall, 87,000 of the trucks are in the United States, while the remaining 14,000 are in Canada, and all are either F-250 or F-550 Super Duty Models.

Ford won't be sending notifications out until later this month, so F-Series owners who just can't wait can call Ford at (800) 392-3673 for more information.

Gallery: 2008 Ford Super-Duty

2008 Ford Super Duty's less than super seats being recalled originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 2005-2007 Ford Super Duty

Ford Super Duty pickups are super for smugglers originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford to keep truckin at Super Duty plant despite International strike originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Spy Shots: Ford F-250/350 Harley-Davidson originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 May 2007 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When a vehicle rolls over, one of the critical components in assuring the safety of its occupants is the roof structure and its ability to protect, not injure its occupants. On the heels of nearly $250-million dollars in judgments relating to injuries caused in rollover accidents, Ford Motor Company has considerably stepped up its efforts to assure the roof strength of its vehicles.

A new standard proposed by NHTSA in August, 2005 raises the minimum force withstood by a roof structure from a multiple of 1.5 to 2.5 times the vehicle's weight while maintaining sufficient head room for a buckled-in average size adult male to avoid being struck by a crushed roof. Unfortunately, a final ruling could take as long as a year and would give the manufacturers until at least 2011 to comply.

In a letter to the NHTSA, Ford's director of automotive safety office, James P. Vondale, disclosed that some versions of 11 models would have roofs 20 percent stronger than required. For instance, the Expedition and Navigator, as well as some F-250 and E-series models would exceed the standard, matching the Volvo XC90, which has one of the strongest roofs on the market.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Continue reading Ford bolstering roofs of some models in wake of lawsuits

Ford bolstering roofs of some models in wake of lawsuits originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

2008 Ford Super Duty: Big truck, mini-site originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Oct 2006 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Texas site of 2008 Ford Super Duty and 6.4-liter Power Stroke unveiling

Texas site of 2008 Ford Super Duty and 6.4-liter Power Stroke unveiling originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Aug 2006 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week we saw a picture of a heavily-camouflaged 2008 Ford Super Duty; this week brings additional shots of vehicles in more revealing livery - something that looks more like Mossy Oak. The sharp eye of Chris Doane found three examples - a single-rear-wheel truck, a dually, and a medium-duty flatbed - undergoing hot-weather testing in the desert.

The most obvious change is in the area of the headlights, with these vehicles sporting lamps that look much like the Ford Tonka concept of several years ago. The hood has a less-prominent budge than the current Super Duty, and the front fenders appear flatter along their upper edge. The openings in the front bumper appear to be larger and the grille has grown in height, likely to accommodate the increased cooling needs of a more powerful twin-turbo diesel. Those who tow trailers on a regular basis will likely appreciate the mirrors, which appear to be only slightly smaller than the average billboard and carry relatively large turn signals.

A peek at the interior shows some styling cues from the contemporary F-150, but it's hard to say what trim level we're seeing. A final assessment will have to wait until all the pieces are in place and the data acquisition equipment is removed.  

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

Spy Photos: 2008 Ford Super Duty originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When a new Ford Power Stroke diesel comes along in 2007 to replace the current 6.0-liter model, it may represent the first use of piezo injectors in a pickup truck. The Siemens-built injectors should help International's 6.4-liter twin-turbo meet upcoming emission standards while also improving upon its predecessor's spotty reliability record, as well as giving the Blue Oval oil burner an European-like level of technological sophistication.

The injectors work via the piezoelectric effect, as the name might hint. They use a small disc of quartz-like crystalline material that deforms when subjected to a high-voltage low-current source, which provides the injector opening and closing action. With cycle times as low as 0.2 milliseconds, such injectors are several times faster than conventional solenoids, which in turn is said to allow up to seven injector events during each compression stroke. The precision of each injector is also increased, with injector-to-injector variation of only a few percent.

All of this adds up to a significant improvement in emissions and fuel economy, but at a price; piezo injectors are reportedly up to twice as expensive as the traditional solenoid-based squirters. With the average pickup truck diesel engine carrying a $5,000 premium, we're guessing that there's plenty of room in the budget.

[Source: Automotive News/Autoweek]

New Ford Powerstroke to use piezo injectors? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jun 2006 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Those waiting to do a spot of stump-pulling with Ford's revamped 2007 Super Duty pickups will have to hold their horses a little longer. The fortified F-Series trucks won't hit dealers until January, despite internal plans to release it in the fourth quarter of 2006. As a result, the Blue Oval's profit-rich big boys likely won't reach the market ahead of rival General Motors' revamped heavy-duty variants of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the delay has something to do with quality measures on its new diesels, among other issues.

Regardless of the reason for the holdup, analysts are predicting that the push-back will likely hurt Ford's earnings for 2006.

[Sources: Detroit Free Press; Inside Line]

Ford's Super Duties delayed until calendar 2007 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 May 2006 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The pending replacement of Chevrolet's full-size pickup for 2007 has been well-documented with a few million grainy spy shots, but this is the first time we can recall seeing the new-for-2008 Silverado HD out and about.  And while most of the KGP Photography captured mule is done up in industry-standard Hefty Bag school of camouflage, it's possible to divine a couple of things: With an 8' bed, it's a predictably lengthy son-of-a-gun. And two, under its hastily-assembled cover, it doesn't appear to look terribly different than the regular strength Silverado.

As Inside Line points out, arch nemesis Ford is planning on further differentiating their heavier duty variants of the F-Series platform, and the existing production versions are already far more visually distinct than their General Motors counterparts.

Which stylistic strategy do you find more appealing? Which will garner consumers' attention in the showroom showdown?  Make your predictions in 'Comments.'

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Snapped! 2008 Chevrolet Silverado HD originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 May 2006 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Not content to let the newly-redesigned Super Duty rest with only five trim levels, Ford has announced two more for the late May start of 2007 production - the Lariat Outlaw and Lariat Highline.

Available only with the Powerstroke 6.0L diesel, the black monochrome Outlaw is designed to attract the sort of disobedient bad-asses who buy $50,000 trucks. Leather-covered captain's chairs keep prospective Young Guns comfortable, and there are a set of chrome step bars in case they've got trouble making a big single leap into the cab. Tinted windows are included to hide all those law-breaking activities from the authorities.

The Highline, available with all three options, adds to the already long list of standard Lariat equipment by adding an all-black leather interior, brushed aluminum trim, and a billet grille that is larger than most garage doors.

Ford's full press release is posted after the jump.

[Source: Ford Motor Company]

Continue reading Ford dresses up the Super Duty Lariat with Outlaw and Highline packages

Ford dresses up the Super Duty Lariat with Outlaw and Highline packages originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 May 2006 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Chevy Silverado 2500 and Ford F-250, look out. Nissan is a-comin' your way with new commercial models of its Titan pickup. Scheduled to debut as a 2009 model, the commercialized Titan will be based on the upgraded pickup chassis Nissan is developing, and will offer a diesel engine and other heavy-duty equipment. So far, there's no word on whether a model will come out to compete with the F-350-level pickups, but the addition to its lineup will likely give Nissan a greater foothold in the pickup market.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Nissan Titan to come in commercial versions originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Mar 2006 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.