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Ford is recalling over 125,000 pickup trucks and crossovers that could catch fire, according to a campaign published by the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).The recall expands on a similar recall campaign issued in July 2022 that covered 100,000 Ford Escape, Ford Maverick, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles built between 2020 and 2023, equipped with the company’s 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain. In the event of an engine failure, the recall says engine oil and fuel vapor can enter the engine compartment and accumulate near hot ignition sources like the exhaust, which could start a fire.Ford says it knows of three instances where vehicles caught fire after undergoing the 2022 recall, suggesting the company’s original fix did not solve the problem. The new fix is currently under development, says Ford. In the meantime, Ford is advising owners to “park and shut off the engine as quickly as possible if they hear unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke.”If you think your vehicle might be affected by this recall, head over to the NHTSA’s website and enter your VIN. Ford is expected to mail notices to owners on June 12, with a follow-up notice when a solution is available. Other Recent RecallsRoad & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing. More

Jeep gave the Wrangler a light refresh for 2024, and the updated off-roader will start at $33,690.The go-anywhere Rubicon models open at $47,190 for the two-door version, with the four-door models adding $4000 to the total across the lineup.The plug-in hybrid 4xe arsenal has grown to include a new Sport S ($51,790) model at the bottom and a Rubicon X ($70,880) at the top.Jeep updated its venerable Wrangler off-roader for the 2024 model year with a redesigned version of the iconic seven-slot grille, a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen, and an expanded model lineup for the plug-in hybrid 4xe. Now Jeep has announced pricing for the 2024 Wrangler, with the cheapest two-door Sport model starting at $33,690 and the lineup topping out at $89,390 for the burly four-door Rubicon 392, which still packs a 470-hp 6.4-liter V-8.The Sport can be upgraded to the Sport S for an extra $3500, adding features like adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, and power windows and door locks. The next step up is the Willys, which prepares the Wrangler for the trails with a rear-locking differential and 33-inch all-terrain tires. It also brings LED headlamps and fog lights and costs $41,190.The top of the range features the Rubicon and Rubicon X, starting at $47,190 and $56,690, respectively. Here’s where the Wrangler’s go-anywhere attitude really gets serious, with the Rubicon bringing a Dana full-float rear axle, electronic front sway-bar disconnect, a part-time transfer case, and front and rear locking differentials. The X adds creature comforts like 12-way power adjustable front seats wrapped in Nappa leather, blind-spot monitoring, and a heated steering wheel and seats. All models from the Sport to the Rubicon X come standard with the 285-hp 3.6-liter V-6 but can be upgraded to a 270-hp turbo 2.0-liter four-pot, which produces 35 more pound-feet of torque than the six-cylinder.Each of the aforementioned trims can be had in four-door form for an extra $4000, but there are also two trim levels exclusively offered with the additional apertures. The Rubicon 392 sits atop the range with its massive motor, but the Sahara slots in between the Willys and Rubicon at $49,620. The Sahara’s only non-hybrid powertrain is the 2.0-liter inline-four, and the model also includes a heated steering wheel and seats, LED lights all around, and proximity key entry with remote start.More New Off-RoadersJeep also added the plug-in hybrid 4xe powertrain to more trim levels. The new base PHEV model is the Sport S, which starts at $51,790. Next comes the Willys ($56,530) and the Sahara ($58,640) before getting to the 4xe-exclusive High Altitude. This model costs $68,790 and adds goodies like a full-time transfer case, 20-inch aluminum wheels shod in 32-inch tires, a built-in front camera for off-roading, 12-way powered front seats, and a powered retracting roof. The 4xe lineup is capped off by the Rubicon, at $62,380, and the new Rubicon X at $70,880. Jeep says that the 2024 Wrangler will start hitting dealership lots this summer. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

From the June 2023 issue of Car and Driver.Break out your American-flag shirt and grab your passport, because NASCAR is headed to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The crossover isn’t as strange as it might seem. American sports-car teams have long been vying for glory on the Mulsanne straight at the famed endurance race, but NASCAR has only been to Le Mans once before.Each year, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) welcomes a team to Le Mans to participate in the Garage 56 program, an exhibition class created in 2012 to encourage technical innovation. Past G56 racers have run on alternative fuels or featured cockpits equipped for disabled drivers, with two teams from the latter category being the only G56 entries to have ever finished the race. For 2023, the ACO invited NASCAR to compete in the Garage 56 spot to bring the rowdy V-8 NASCAR experience to Europe.Le Mans from Every AngleEven though NASCAR runs road courses, endurance racing has different rules and challenges. So it’s not as simple as just shipping over a Cup Series car. NASCAR chose Hendrick Motorsports, the most successful team in NASCAR’s premier class, to go to France. This year’s G56 entry will be a Camaro ZL1 Cup Car, modified for the long hours and difficult racing conditions at Le Mans. “We had to adapt it to make it an endurance vehicle,” says Brandon Thomas, vice president of vehicle design. “But it’s a Cup car in spirit.”Check out the photo gallery to learn more about how NASCAR modified the Camaro stock car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.A Bicentennial PartyIn 1976, with gas prices high and track attendance low, the ACO invited NASCAR to send over a couple of its big V-8-powered cars to battle with Porsches and prototypes at Le Mans. A Dodge Charger and a Ford Torino made the journey, but neither survived the 24 hours.A Notorious 56Nissan campaigned the odd-looking Deltawing in 2012, G56’s inaugural year. A study in aerodynamics and weight reduction, the oddly shaped, narrow-front-track wingless design (nearly all downforce came from its diffuser) could run while sipping a fraction of the fuel and using fewer tires. It weighed just over 1000 pounds and successfully hit the pace the ACO requested (between prototype and GT racers). It retired on lap 76 after making contact with a barrier, but that was after it made good on its goal and returned 8.8 mpg at race pace. That’d be just as shocking as a production car getting 100 mpg.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

The DOT’s Inspector General has conducted an audit of the way the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) analyzes safety defects in vehicles, and, well, it could be better.NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has been updating its processes, but the new software and office organization weren’t enough to investigate more than a handful (88) of the 75,267 consumer complaints the agency received in 2019.The report made 12 recommendations for NHTSA to speed things up and now considers all topics “resolved but open pending implementation.” In other words, time to get to work.Figuring out what’s wrong—potentially wrong—with a vehicle these days takes time. Too much time, according to the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General (DOTIG), which recently published an audit report on why it has been taking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) so long to analyze safety defects. The gist of the 40-page report is that NHTSA has made some improvements in its processes, but far more needs to be done.NHTSA at WorkBefore we get into the weeds of the report, titled “NHTSA Has Not Fully Established and Applied Its Risk-Based Process for Safety Defect Analysis,” let’s remember why understanding how NHTSA conducts its investigations and recalls is important. One well-known recent case of a major safety defect was the case of the defective Takata airbag inflators, which killed 24 people and injured over 400. The DOT Inspector General wants NHTSA to speed up its information collection and analysis processes to address any similar safety defects, hoping to avoid any future situation where casualty numbers reach similar levels.Office of Defects Investigation Not Investigating Enough DefectsFor the report, the DOT specifically looked at NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) because it “plays a key role by gathering and analyzing relevant information, investigating potential defects, identifying unsafe motor vehicles and items of motor vehicle equipment, and managing the recall process.” The ODI implemented new procedures in 2016 and 2020, including restructuring its office and modernizing the software it uses to store and analyze data. This was not enough to stave off a number of blistering criticisms from the DOTIG. The ODI didn’t meet timeliness goals, did not upload documents to its public website in a timely manner, doesn’t have an integrated information system for safety defect investigations and recall processes, and, finally, the ODI “does not consistently follow its procedures for issue escalation and lacks guidance for other pre-investigative efforts.”In other words, NHTSA needs to do better.The report provides details about these criticisms. For example, on the last point—issue escalation—the DOT found that the ODI doesn’t consistently follow procedures to determine which problems need to be prioritized and deserve an investigation. In 2019, for example, NHTSA received 75,267 consumer complaints, and 32,482 needed “further substantive review.” NHTSA issued 966 recalls that year, but the ODI only opened 88 investigations. Automakers Moving Faster Than NHTSAThe main reason for this low number of investigations is, in part, that automakers decided to launch some recalls before the ODI pursued its own investigation. This system fits in nicely with ODI’s measurement of success, the DOTIG said, because it “count[s] the number of vehicles recalled each year, rather than by the number of potential safety defects investigated.”The DOTIG made a dozen recommendations to speed things up safely, and NHTSA said it concurred with 10 of them. NHTSA sort of agreed with another (ways to meet timeliness goals) and did not agree with the DOT report about developing consistent rules for negotiating safety defect issues with manufacturers. Given NHTSA’s response, DOTIG said it considers “all 12 recommendations resolved but open pending implementation.” Will any of this result in more and faster recalls? Stay tuned. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

The 2025 Volvo EX30 debuts as the brand’s smallest electric SUV, slotting below the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge in size and price. Starting at $36,145, the 268-hp rear-drive EX30 has a claimed range of 275 miles; a punchier, albeit pricier, 422-hp all-wheel-drive model is available too.The EX30’s interior boasts a single 12.3-inch touchscreen, myriad recycled materials, and a full-width sound bar on the dashboard.Chevy called the Bolt EV an SUV when most people with two working eyes saw it as a high-riding hatchback. However, the Bolt will be six feet under after this year, and there aren’t many small, affordable electric hatches—er—SUVs for Americans to choose from. That’s why the 2025 Volvo EX30 is so refreshing.The Smallest VolvoThe EX30, which measures 166.7 inches long and 61.1 inches tall, is a few inches longer and a couple inches shorter than the regular Bolt. The Volvo is almost 3 inches wider, though, at 72.3 inches. The EX30 is also smaller and less expensive than the fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, which both occupy the subcompact end of the SUV spectrum. Riding on a short 104.3-inch wheelbase, the EX30 has 6.5 inches of ground clearance. It’s also rated to tow 2000 pounds (same as the Recharge twins).The Swedish automaker can market its smallest model however it likes, because the EX30 exemplifies the EV ethos better than many other electric models currently sold on our shores. It’s the exact opposite of four-ton-plus behemoths such as the GMC Hummer EV SUV and the growing number of electric pickup trucks. A smaller vehicle obviously needs fewer materials to make, but Volvo took extra measures to make the EX30 sustainable.Simple to Be Sustainable Along with using more recyclable and renewable materials, Volvo says it has streamlined the manufacturing process by increasing the number of stamped body parts. The company also partners with suppliers who share its climate-neutral mission, with a majority of them said to have committed to using 100 percent renewable energy by 2025. Volvo also uses blockchain technology to trace critical raw materials used to make its batteries.The EX30 will begin production in China, in a factory that’s said to be primarily powered by climate-neutral energy, but a company spokesperson declined to say whether it would eventually be built in Volvo’s South Carolina plant, as is the plan for the larger, three-row EX90. As a result, it remains to be seen whether or not the EX30 will ever become eligible for federal EV tax credits under the new guidelines. Inside the EX30 is where people can see how Volvo simplified things for the sake of sustainability. Instead of scattering stereo speakers in both the doors and dashboard like most cars, the EX30 comes standard with a full-width sound bar mounted at the base of the windshield. Containing seven speakers, it clears room for more storage space in the door panels and reduces the amount of wiring. Of course, the sound system can be further upgraded with optional Harman/Kardon equipment.Minimalist doesn’t mean plain, boring, and questionably screwed together in the EX30 like it does in the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. Instead, it channels Volvo’s chic cabins, with attractive upholstery options, from wool-blend fabrics to recycled denim. It also has interesting trim pieces on the dash and doors that are accented by adjustable ambient lighting. The center console has loads of storage space, and it features retractable cupholders and other versatile bins for front- and rear-seat passengers. There’s also a glovebox mounted below the center stack with tons of room thanks to the flat load floor. For bulky items, the EX30 offers 14 cubic feet of space behind the back seats and 32 cubes with that row stowed.Like the Teslas, the EX30 has a single center-mounted display where all critical driving information as well as other vehicle settings and infotainment options are controlled. The vertically oriented 12.3-inch touchscreen runs the latest version of Google’s Android operating system. The big news is that it finally includes wireless Apple CarPlay. A Volvo spokesperson says wireless Android Auto isn’t included since the native system serves that function.Powered UpThe EX30 is built on the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) electric platform that was developed by Geely, Volvo’s Chinese parent company. The little ute is offered with two powertrains. There’s a single-motor rear-wheel-drive configuration that generates 268 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant delivers a combined 422 horses and 400 pound-feet. Volvo claims that’s enough punch to launch the EX30 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds.VolvoVolvoEvery EX30 features a 64.0-kWh battery pack. Volvo estimates a full charge will send the single-motor model 275 miles, while the extra motor is expected to shave 10 miles off that figure. Neither range rating has yet been certified by the EPA. With a peak charging rate of 153 kW, Volvo claims it takes about 27 minutes to charge the EX30’s battery from 10 to 80 percent when plugged into a DC fast charger.On the road, the EX30 continues to promote Volvo’s safety-minded image. It comes with all manner of common driver-assistance tech, but it also features an alert to help prevent opening a door into oncoming cyclists and such. There’s a new driver-attention monitor too, which is said to be better at recognizing if a driver is drowsy or distracted. For those who struggle with parking, the EX30 also marks the debut of Volvo’s latest-generation automated Park Pilot Assist feature. It’s basically able to identify and execute more parking scenarios, such as curved and diagonal fishbone-style spots.EX30 Cross Country ComingVolvo will finally offer an EV with its outdoorsy Cross Country treatment. While production isn’t slated to start until sometime later in 2024, the EX30 Cross Country will have the hallmarks of its predecessors. That includes higher ground clearance and rugged-looking exterior bits. Along with black 19-inch wheels, a set of 18-inchers with knobby BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires will be available. Black panels on the front bumper and tailgate as well as a Swedish flag on the hood will be other telltale details, and an optional roof rack is available.The U.S. version of the 2025 Volvo EX30 is currently available to pre-order. Prices start at $36,145 for the entry-level Core trim with the single motor. While the company has confirmed that a mid-level Plus and a loaded Ultimate will complete the lineup, it isn’t releasing pricing yet. That will happen sometime before U.S. models start reaching dealerships next summer.Extra EX30 ReadingThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More