Recall Alert: 2006-08 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator

Ford announced today it is recalling nearly 124,000 2007-08 Ford Explorers and Lincoln Navigators for faulty door handles, and 57,000 2006-07 Navigator and Ford Expedition SUVs, plus Ford E-150, E-250 and E-350 vans, for faulty fuel pumps.

The first recall impacts the most consumers and involves a spring system inside the door handles of the SUVs. The springs could break and prevent the handles from springing back to a closed position. Because of the defect, the latches could open during a side-impact crash.

The other recall deals with a faulty fuel hose in the 5.4-liter V-8 engine that can crack and leak fuel and possibly lead to a fire.

No injuries or accidents have been reported due to either problem, but dealers will replace all parts for both recalls at no cost. Letters will go out to owners over the next two months. Contact Ford at 800-392-3673 for more information.

Ford Recalling 180,000 SUVs and Vans (CNNMoney)

Cars.com Faceoff: 2008 Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX56, Lincoln Navigator

Mike Hanley, David Thomas and Joe Wiesenfelder recently spent a lot of quality time in three large, luxury SUVs and had the hard task of determining which one topped the bling-obsessed heap. Besides tackling those big, bold SUV grilles, the trio also factored in cargo usability, interior refinement and how easy it is to navigate these beasts. 

Cars.comparison: Full-Size Luxury SUVs

Friday Fleet Notes: 1.25.07

Friday Fleet Notes is back, and even in its absence our staff has been diligently recording thoughts on the latest cars to come into the Cars.com offices. The new Smart elicited the most comments we’ve gotten in a long time, but a Lexus hybrid and Lincoln SUV made an impression too.

Smart ForTwo Passion (original expert review w/video)

• Niche cars like the Smart ForTwo will sell no matter what, but in case you’re wondering whether you need to envy your neighbor who bought one and can now park wherever he feels like it, the answer is no.
  
  It’s not that you’ll feel cramped inside; there’s plenty of space in the driver’s seat, and until you look over your shoulder you may even forget you’re driving a car straight out of Munchkinland. The problem with this little car is that it’s miserable to drive. The automatic transmission is awful, especially at low speeds, the brakes are jerky, a gust of wind makes you feel as if you’re about to tip over, and every bump and crack in the road feels like railroad tracks.

  There’s an auto-manual mode that helps a lot with the jerkiness, but it’s a pain to use paddle shifters at low speeds. The paddles turn with the steering wheel, so midway through a left turn, as the tachometer quickly approaches the redline, you’ll be left to reach frantically for an ever-moving target. Why this car doesn’t have a plain-old manual transmission is beyond me.

  The ergonomics inside aren’t bad, though the seat adjustments aren’t very smooth. My biggest gripe here was that the cargo shelf behind the front seats is inaccessible without moving the seat forward, and that handle is on the inside of the driver’s seat. That means that if you need to toss anything back there (like, you know, a purse), be prepared to reach across the seat and get smacked by the seatback before you can do so. — Beth Palmer, copy editor

Best Cash-Back Finds: 01.25.08

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury are dolling out pretty darn good deals through the end of February, and we had to be selective about which ones we picked for this round of our top finds. We could have gone with the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner with decent cash back, or numerous SUVs, but we went a different way. We also added one fun-to-drive model that’s surprisingly still in decent supply. For a complete list check out Cars.com's Incentives page.

2008 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable

MSRP: $23,485/$23,780
Cash back: $2,000
Percent off MSRP: 8.4-8.5%   
Expires: 2/29/08
5-Year Ownership Costs

Just this week, Ford’s CEO said the company is going to redesign the Taurus completely for 2009. That kind of move would usually have us telling folks to wait and see, but the Taurus and Sable were just updated this year, and we just spent a week in the new Sable and found it to be a great daily driver. The new Premier trim had a pretty nice interior, too. Both also look much better in person and offer a ton of space in the second row and trunk.

Cars.com Review Wrap-Up

It’s been awhile since we posted a wrap-up of our recent expert car reviews from the Cars.com Research section. It must have been something to do with all those darn auto shows. Anyway, our staff wasn’t sitting on its laurels. Check out reviews of some of the newest vehicles on the market:

• 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL550
• 2007 Saab 9-7X
• 2007 Ford Expedition
• 2007 Lincoln Navigator
• 2007 Ford Edge