Ford

The massive F-650 and F-750 medium duty trucks from Ford might not be the first vehicles that come to mind when thinking of safety compliances, but that’s just the case with roughly 26,400 F-Series trucks built between 2011 and 2015. According to Ford, the front right passenger and center passenger seat belt anchors may not be attached in the proper position, which could potentially lead to an increased risk of injury during a crash.

The safety compliance violation has to do with FMVSS 210, the code for seat belt anchorings in school buses, commercial trucks, and similar vehicles. In Ford’s case, the seat belt anchors might not be positioned correctly in relation to the seat bottom.

Thankfully there are no known injuries from the seat belts, but Ford isn’t taking the chance. The seat belt mounting points will be corrected, though Ford admits it is still working on the solution. The solution will have to include variances for the many cab and seat configurations offered on the medium-duty trucks.

The affected trucks were built at the Escobedo Assembly plant and include the 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015 model years. Some 417 models are estimated to be in Canada with the remaining 25,941 trucks in the U.S. and its territories.

Ford will be contacting owners of the affected trucks, letting them know how they can participate in the recall. Like all such safety recalls, the service will be done without cost to the customer.

Continue reading for the full story.

The biggest players in the commercial van segment are part of GM and Ford teams. Everybody knows that the Ford E Series has always struggled to stay in front of its rivals and most of the time had succeeded.

The E Series is around since 1992 and since then, it received a lot of upgrades which helped it stay on top of the sales chart. However, Ford’s E Series has its roots planted back in 1960 when it was known as the Econoline.

Ford’s van was always considered a practical, utilitarian workhorse and every generation was stronger and more refined than the previous one.

The 2003 model received a few major upgrades and was available in a wide range of body configurations. The 2003 upgrades included new engines, a new transmission, standard rear disc brakes, four new exterior colors, standard battery saver, optional AM/FM/CD audio system and remote keyless entry on cutaway models.

The 2003 Ford E-Series gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) ranged from 6,700 lbs. to 19,000 lbs, depending on the engine.

The Ford Falcon ute is one of the sportiest pickup from the market and it’s only real rival is the Holden SV6 ute.

The vehicle was born after Ford decided to chop off the back of its high class Falcon sedan and added a set of chassis rails with a live axle and leaf springs.

The vehicle was especially developed for the Australian market and it’s unlikely to be seen in other areas. Ford has also came up with a sportier version of its pickup, but the standard model was left to deal mostly with utilitarian purposes as it has a more serene and rugged character.

The Ford FG Falcon ute has a starting price of $27.795 and offers a generous payload of 1240kg.

The Ford Escort van was a small economy car sold between 1991 – 2002 and offered a perfect blend between economy, practicality and performance. The vehicle was based basically the van version of the subcompact Escort model, and thanks to its efficiency and versatility has managed to win a lot of fans.

The Ford Escort van never had the pretention to be considered anything else than a rugged work horse and it wasn’t as charming as some of its more upscale rivals. However, thanks to its strong build quality and the simple mechanics it represented the perfect choice for those seeking a hard working and reliable partner for light commercial duties.

The vehicle benefitted from noticeable changes in 1996 when it received a few exterior modifications and upgraded engines. The latest facelift left the car with a 1.3 liter petrol engine and a 1.8 liter diesel. The petrol unit however was dropped in the favor of the diesel engine that was now available in both standard and turbo versions.

There are many vans on today’s market and you have plenty of models to choose from. But one model however, had always stood out from the crowd.

The Ford Transit is one of the most appreciated vans in the segment thanks to its proven reliability and the tight pricing.

The fourth generation of the Transit was sold between 2000 - 2006 and despite the fact that it didn’t represented the huge evolution that everyone expected, it was still a highly capable workhorse build on the solid foundation of the previous model.

The Ford Transit was represented by a 1.2 tonnes payload capacity, low running costs, easy repairs and a wide choice of body styles.

The Ford Transit Connect has changed the world of vans forever when it was launched in 2002. It was a bigger alternative for the mini vans and has also managed to steal some buyers form the bigger models from the market.

The Transit Connect was engineered using Ford’s experience in the commercial vehicle segment and it has anything it needs to be considered one of the most capable models in its class. The vehicle is available in two height configurations and you can choose from two diesel engines - 75 hp or 90 hp.

Over the years, the Transit Connect has benefitted from a series of facelifts, but the latest significant upgrade was made in 2002, so the LCV is starting to show its age.

The Ford LCF was especially designed to deal with short urban transportations and is offered with a cab over engine configuration which helps it to cope great with the city traffic. The vehicle has been developed as part of the Blue Diamond joint venture and is assembled in Mexico at the joint venture’s Escobedo facility.

The Ford LCF is sold together with the F- Series and E-Series being part of the company’s lineup of commercial vehicles.

The low cab forward LCF also permits you to attach different units for specialized applications such as landscaping, towing and construction.

After it was launched in 2006 as a totally fresh model, the Ford LCF received a few modifications in 2007 when Ford has improved the driver comfort and the ride quality.

The Ford LCF is available with four gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) namely 15,000, 16,000, 17,999 and 19,500 pounds.

Ford’s response to Volkswagen Transporter and Renault Traffic is ready to take center stage at the upcoming 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show, as the company has officially announced the debut of its new LCV prior to sales launch later in 2012 in Europe.

The new Ford Transit Custom is based on the Ford Tourneo Custom Concept and except for some minor exterior modifications it bares the same look as its donor.

The company declared that the Ford Transit Custom will be available with a full range of van, combi, and double-cab-in-van models and won’t be sold in North America.

Jesus Alonso, director CV Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe said, “The launch of this new range marks the start of a far-reaching transformation of Ford’s global commercial vehicle range. With more new models set to be revealed in the coming months, 2012 is destined to be a very exciting year for our commercial vehicle business.”

BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and Meritor Defense have been working on a military project dubbed the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program in an attempt to manufacture a lightweight vehicle that the U.S. armed forces can use anywhere in the world. This project had yet to be officially proposed, as its equipment was still in the developmental phase, but as of today, testing is over and the proposal is to be submitted.

You may be wondering “what does this have to do with production cars?” The driving force of this new military device, which is ultimately the replacement for the Humvee, is shared with one of the best-selling pickups of all time, the Ford F-Series SuperDuty. Yup, this large-caliber-gun-toting machine will come fitted with Ford’s now famous 6.7-liter Power Stroke engine.

The exact specifics of the engine have not been released, so we are not certain if this will be the same 6.7-liter you would see under the hood of a 2012 F-250 SuperDuty. Unfortunately, that will likely never be known, but we do know that the Power Stroke engine is up to the task, pumping out an impressive 400 horsepower at 2,800 rpm and 800 pound-feet of torque at 1,600 rpm.

This will likely end up similar to the Allison military transmissions vs. civilian models deal. The Power Stroke’s basic technology will remain the same, but the engine will be highly modified for combat usage. If the military accepts this design as one of the three it will select, this could mean that the Power Stroke could see much advancement in upcoming years, as the military tinkers with the engine and Ford mimics the modifications. This also means that we are in for a slew of “Ford’s so good, we power military vehicles” styles of commercials, oh boy.

On a semi-ironic aside to this announcement, Ford was once a part of the JLTV program, but dropped out earlier. We guess there are no hard feelings between Ford and BAE.

Hit the jump for the official press release.

The Ford Transit Chassis Cab is available with a variety of models and can be converted in a wide range of commercial vehicles from ambulances to tippers.

The lightweight truck was designed to offer a sharp handling around the city and also comfortable long-distance cruising. The cabin is spacious, comfortable and well equipped while the engine range is pretty wide too, with plenty of units to choose from.

The Ford transit Chassis Cap has a starting price of £18,670 (ex. vat) and is available with three wheelbases, four frame lengths, rear- , front- or all-wheel drive, high-traction dual and single wheels and single or double cab style.

The Ford Super Duty Chassis Cab is the best sold truck in its segment and is build on a solid foundation which is ready to endure the most demanding conditions. The truck received a host of upgrades in 2011 and is available in three cabin configurations including the Regular-, Super- and Crew-cab models.

Thanks to its wide range of body styles, engines and trim levels it will be very easy to find a Super Duty that suits your needs. The engines are also the strongest in the segment, and reward you mind-blowing abilities when it comes to towing power and payload.

Over the years, the truck has been continuously improved and the most recent upgrades have brought a stronger V8 engine into the mix. However, in this segment there are also other worthy competitors who come from Chevrolet or Dodge. The Ford F Series Super Duty Chassis cab has a starting price of $29,570 and is available with GVWRs between 13,300- 19500 lbs.

The Ford F-650 and F-750 Super Duty Chassis Cabs are medium-duty commercial introduced by Ford in 2000. These are the strongest trucks for commercial use built by the American manufacturer and feature a maximum GVWR of 37,000 lbs. The vehicle is available in two trim levels – XL and XT - and comes with a choice of three cab configurations: Regular Cab, an exclusive four-door SuperCab and four-door Crew Cab, each with a wide variety of seating choices. The truck is also available with 38 wheelbase choices, hence being highly versatile. The trucks have a starting price of $53,345

There is no secret that Ford’s E-Series lineup dominates more than half of the full-size van market. The dominant figures include about 65 percent share of the cutaway segment, including more than 90 percent of the ambulance business in this category. These figures said a lot about the E Series success reliability and given its reliability it doesn’t surprise us at all.

The Ford E Cutaway series is one of the most versatile commercial vehicles build by the American manufacturer. With GVWRs ranging from 9.000–14.500 lbs, the Cutaway is based on the van version of the E Series van which is around flexing its muscles for almost 50 years. The Ford E Series Cutaway has a starting price of $25,230 and is available with choice of V8 or V10 engines.