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Ford blamed in drug mule lawsuit

If a college student is caught smuggling drugs across the border, one might think the kid got what was coming to him. But when a Mexican student at the University of Texas in El Paso was caught by Border Patrol agents with duffel bags filled with marijuana in his trunk, the man used a classic excuse: He claimed they weren't his.
While a claim like that is almost unbelievable, Ricardo Magallanes, the student, is now suing Ford for handling its vehicles' key codes negligently enough to allow drug smugglers to break into his Ford Focus and stash the drugs, The Daily Caller reports. The twist here is that four other people who lived in Juarez and worked in El Paso were involved in the same type of scheme - allegedly unwittingly, just like Magallanes - and all the cars were Fords except one model from General Motors. FBI agents also found an employee at a Dallas Ford dealership that had accessed the key codes to all four of the cannabis-stuffed Fords.
While we all may not own Fords, the case still causes us slight paranoia. We'll definitely be checking our trunks before we cross any more international borders.

Ford recalls select Explorer, E-Series vans

Just a few days ago we brought you news that Ford had issued a recall on 28,000 units of the Edge crossover for problems related to the fuel line. But now the Blue Oval has issued recall notices on two more of its larger vehicles.
The first relates to the Explorer, 395 examples of which from the 2011 and 2012 model years were found to have problems with their steering systems if they underwent service after September 1, 2013. An apparent software glitch could lock the steering gear, preventing the driver from steering the vehicle and thereby increasing the risk of a crash. As a result, Ford dealers are being instructed to check their records to identify the problematic vehicles and bring them in to have the steering gear replaced. Details of the recall can be found in the PDF linked here.
The second problem revolves around E-Series vans that may develop bubbles in their windshields under hot temperatures. The decrease in visibility through the problematic windshield could - you guessed it - "increase the risk of a crash." As a result, Ford is calling in 4,532 units of the E-150, E-250, E-350 and E-450 vans built in the relatively short window between May 12 and May 26, 2011. Details of this recall can be found in the notice below from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

1947 Chevy rat rod pickup leaves rubber and smoke in its wake

Cool comes in multiple flavors. One one hand, we have the sophisticated attraction of svelte design and the efficient use of power. Of course, on the other hand there is the allure of being the bad boy and going against the grain. That is part of the appeal of rat rods. Ideally, they are built without rules to an owner's specific tastes, and this widened and heavily modified 1947 Chevrolet pickup rod is a perfect example of that spirit.
Coming down the highway with a bent grille, rusted body and pouring smoke, it looks like the pickup from hell. It backs up the looks with some very impressive mechanicals too. Owner Troy Gubser says that the truck packs a Ford Power Stroke diesel with to 42 pounds of boost that runs out of 8-inch exhaust stacks at the back. He claims it managed 505 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque on the dyno. To harness all that power, this hot rod has a ZF five-speed manual gearbox with a ceramic clutch and short-throw shifter. Plus, it has cool little features like a doorbell on the tailgate that operates an air horn.
You might not expect a truck like this to actually be useful, but it has a fifth wheel coupling to haul an RV around drag races and car shows. The air suspension also probably keeps the ride fairly comfy when Gubser wants it to be. Scroll down to check out this beastly rat rod pickup and watch it engage in some diesel drag racing. Warning, there is some NSFW language.