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NHTSA upgrades Ford floor mat unintended acceleration probe

According to a Bloomberg report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has upgraded an investigation into complaints of unintended acceleration lodged against Ford vehicles. The investigation began in June of 2010 when just three complaints had been received and it only concerned the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, but this was at a time when the phrase "unintended acceleration" made grown men go pale. With 49 additional complaints received since then, the investigation has been reclassified as an engineering analysis - the last phase before a recall - and it has been expanded to include the Lincoln MKZ, making for a total of "around 480,000" units affected between the three sedans from the 2008 to 2010 model years.
The ostensible cause is that floor mats are trapping the accelerator pedal, but according to a Ford statement at the time, the entrapment is due to owners placing the optional all-weather floor mats, or aftermarket floor mats, on top of the car's standard floor mats. NHTSA has backed up that assessment, pinning the blame on "unsecured or double stacked floor mats."
On the face of it, it would appear that NHTSA has upgraded the status not because of Ford's error, but owner error, and Ford has stated publicly that it is "disappointed" in NHTSA's move. On top of NHTSA still being skittish after that other unintended acceleration debacle, it could be seen to be taking its time investigating all of the variables: it's reported that Ford changed its accelerator pedal design in 2010, a "heel blocker" in the floorpan has been considered a potential culprit in how the floor mats could be trapping the pedal, some drivers have said the floor mats weren't anywhere near the pedal, and according to a report in the LA Times, in "a letter sent by Ford to NHTSA in August 2010, the automaker said it found three injuries and one fatality that 'may have resulted from the alleged defect.'"

Lincoln MKC configurator comes alive

Lincoln has already announced most of the trim level and option pricing for its upcoming 2015 MKC due out this summer, and now it has launched a configurator allowing prospective buyers to get a better idea of how this new model will stack up against other compact luxury crossovers. We already knew that the MKC will have a starting price of $33,995, but now we know that its price includes a destination charge of $895.
Models equipped with the base 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine come standard with the Premiere package - $33,100 for front-wheel drive and $35,595 for all-wheel drive. Both models offer equipment upgrades from the Select and Reserve packages. The $3,230 Select package adds features like leather seats, power passenger seat, folding and heated door mirrors and painted 18-inch wheels, while the pricier $6,935 Reserve package adds in heated and cooled front seats, panoramic roof, hands-free liftgate, two-tone wheels and an embedded modem (providing features such as remote lock and unlock, vehicle finder and pre-conditioning).
Opting for the new 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four raises the base price to $39,965, and it comes standard with all-wheel drive and all of the equipment in the Select package; the Reserve package is still optional. All models can be further optioned up with the $2,235 Technology Package (adding adaptive cruise, active park assist and lane keeping system) and the $580 Climate Package (heated rear seats and steering wheel, auto high beams and rain-sensing wipers). Checking all the options, a fully loaded 2015 MKC with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost will have a total MSRP of $47,715.

Five vehicles named Top Safety Pick+ including new Civic, MKZ

In an attempt to help push vehicle safety to a higher level, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety created a stricter Top Safety Pick+ rating last year, which incorporates a brutal small overlap test and requires cars to get Good ratings in four out of the five categories (and no less than Acceptable in the fifth). Joining the list of the safest cars of 2013, the 2013 Volvo XC60, Lincoln MKZ, Honda Civic (sedan and coupe) and the 2014 Mazda6 have all received the coveted TSP+ rating.
The Mazda6 and Lincoln MKZ have both been completely redesigned, and both received Acceptable ratings in the small overlap test. The Honda Civic, coming off its emergency refresh for 2013, is the first small car to be subjected to the small overlap test, and IIHS says that one of the car's many upgrades includes a stiffer front structure allowing it to receive Good ratings in all categories. Similarly, the XC60 gets all Good ratings thanks to, according to IIHS, Volvo updating the airbag software allowing the side airbags to inflate during the small overlap test.
The 2014 Subaru Forester has not yet been subjected to the small overlap test, so it must make do with just a Top Safety Pick rating until the IIHS tests small utility vehicles, which is expected to happen later in the spring.