TARMAC N TORQUE
The archive

News & Features

Everything we've published, from track-side reporting to slow Sunday reads.

Ford Is Recalling 86,543 Mach-Es Because a Faster Jig Didn't Let the Glue Cure
News

Ford Is Recalling 86,543 Mach-Es Because a Faster Jig Didn't Let the Glue Cure

The rear side quarter window trim on 2023–2025 Mustang Mach-Es can work loose and come off in traffic. Ford traced it to a supplier fixture that cut the installation time — and, with it, the primer's cure time.

Mitch HAugust 13, 20264 min read
Ford Reportedly Showed Dealers a Four-Door Mustang
News

Ford Reportedly Showed Dealers a Four-Door Mustang

At a dealer meeting in Las Vegas, Ford is said to have put an image of a Mustang sedan on the screen — gas-powered, possibly hybrid, aimed at the Charger, and due before the decade is out.

Mitch HAugust 12, 20265 min read
1.27 Million Ram 1500s Recalled Because the Rear Seat Belt Anchors May Never Have Been Attached
News

1.27 Million Ram 1500s Recalled Because the Rear Seat Belt Anchors May Never Have Been Attached

Eight model years of Ram's best-selling truck may have second-row buckle anchors that were never properly secured to the body. Until a dealer looks, Stellantis says move rear passengers to the far side.

Mitch HAugust 10, 20264 min read
A Corroding Door Switch Is Behind Mercedes' Biggest US Recall of the Year
News

A Corroding Door Switch Is Behind Mercedes' Biggest US Recall of the Year

310,667 vehicles, eight model lines, and a failure that starts nowhere near the brakes: a microswitch in the driver's door that stops the car knowing the door is open.

Mitch HAugust 7, 20264 min read
Lucid Pushes Its Affordable Crossover to 2027 After a $1 Billion Quarter
News

Lucid Pushes Its Affordable Crossover to 2027 After a $1 Billion Quarter

The Cosmos was supposed to be the car that got Lucid out of the six-figure niche. A new CEO just moved it to the second half of 2027, and the quarter behind it explains why.

Mitch HAugust 7, 20264 min read
Stellantis Recalls More Than 1.27 Million Ram 1500 Pickups Over Rear Seat Belt Anchors
News

Stellantis Recalls More Than 1.27 Million Ram 1500 Pickups Over Rear Seat Belt Anchors

NHTSA says the second-row seat belt buckle anchors on certain Ram 1500 trucks may not be properly secured to the body structure, raising the risk of injury in a crash.

Mitch HAugust 6, 20264 min read
BMW to Cut 8,000 Jobs by End of 2027 as China Sales Slump Hits Profit
News

BMW to Cut 8,000 Jobs by End of 2027 as China Sales Slump Hits Profit

The voluntary redundancy program, the largest in BMW's history, targets white-collar roles in Germany while leaving production staff untouched.

Mitch HAugust 6, 20264 min read
BMW Recalls 29,119 Plug-In Hybrid Sedans Over Starter Fire Risk
News

BMW Recalls 29,119 Plug-In Hybrid Sedans Over Starter Fire Risk

A corroded starter relay in the 330e, 530e, and 740Le iPerformance sedans can short-circuit and, in rare cases, ignite a fire — even while the car is parked and switched off. BMW is telling owners to park outside until it's fixed.

Mitch HAugust 6, 20264 min read
A Suspension Part on 1.2 Million Teslas Can Detach Without Warning, NHTSA Says
News

A Suspension Part on 1.2 Million Teslas Can Detach Without Warning, NHTSA Says

The agency's Office of Defects Investigation has logged 156 complaints about the front lower lateral link failing on 2018-2020 Model 3s and 2021-2023 Model Ys — and says most owners got no advance warning before it happened.

Mitch HAugust 1, 20264 min read
Volkswagen Is Recalling 57,851 Atlas SUVs Because the Backup Camera Can Just Not Turn On
News

Volkswagen Is Recalling 57,851 Atlas SUVs Because the Backup Camera Can Just Not Turn On

A low-voltage electrical glitch can leave the rearview camera dark exactly when drivers shift into reverse — the fix is free, but owners won't get formal notification until mid-September.

Mitch HJuly 31, 20264 min read
Porsche Will Cut 5,000 More Jobs — and Spend €2.1 Billion to Keep the 911 Made in Germany
News

Porsche Will Cut 5,000 More Jobs — and Spend €2.1 Billion to Keep the 911 Made in Germany

The Future Package, agreed by Porsche's Executive Board and works council on July 27, brings the total jobs affected by the automaker's restructuring since early 2025 to roughly 9,000, even as the company commits fresh investment to Zuffenhausen and Weissach through 2035.

Mitch HJuly 28, 20265 min read
Ford Already Recalled This Seat Defect Once. It's Back — on Cars That Were Already Fixed.
News

Ford Already Recalled This Seat Defect Once. It's Back — on Cars That Were Already Fixed.

The expanded, 387,911-vehicle recall covers 2020–2026 Explorers and 2020–2027 Aviators after Ford found the same second-row seat switch binding on SUVs that had already been repaired under a June 2025 campaign for the identical problem.

Mitch HJuly 27, 20264 min read
NHTSA Won't Call Tesla's Door Handles Defective. It's Writing New Rules for Every Automaker Instead.
News

NHTSA Won't Call Tesla's Door Handles Defective. It's Writing New Rules for Every Automaker Instead.

The agency denied a petition to investigate the Model 3's manual door release as a defect, but granted a separate one to develop a federal standard requiring an emergency exit that works with no power and no hunting through a door panel — after a bill in Congress cited 15 deaths tied to similar entrapments.

Mitch HJuly 26, 20265 min read
Ford Recalls 565,691 Broncos Over an Engine-Bay Wiring Harness That Can Short and Catch Fire
News

Ford Recalls 565,691 Broncos Over an Engine-Bay Wiring Harness That Can Short and Catch Fire

The recall spans every Bronco and Bronco Raptor built from 2021 through 2026 — though Ford says only about 1 in 100 of them actually has the defect. Owner letters don't go out until late August.

Mitch HJuly 25, 20264 min read
Ford Recalls 741,195 SUVs and Trucks Because Park Doesn't Always Mean Park
News

Ford Recalls 741,195 SUVs and Trucks Because Park Doesn't Always Mean Park

A transmission fault that lets the park pawl engage while a vehicle is still moving spans Expeditions, Navigators, Explorers, Aviators, and F-150s built across four model years — and the permanent fix isn't ready until next spring.

Mitch HJuly 23, 20265 min read
The US Government Just Barred Polestar From Selling Any Car Here Past This Model Year
News

The US Government Just Barred Polestar From Selling Any Car Here Past This Model Year

A Commerce Department rule aimed at Chinese-linked connected-vehicle tech cuts off Polestar's US sales after the 2026 model year — and its 32 dealers found out with no real plan for what comes next.

Mitch HJuly 21, 20265 min read
Subaru Is Recalling 541,000 SUVs Over a Label That's Been Wrong Since 2018 — Not a Broken Part
News

Subaru Is Recalling 541,000 SUVs Over a Label That's Been Wrong Since 2018 — Not a Broken Part

The Ascent, Forester, Forester Hybrid, and Crosstrek Hybrid are all affected by a certification label that understates how much weight the rear axle can actually carry.

Mitch HJuly 19, 20263 min read
Kia Tells Nearly 463,000 Telluride Owners to Park Outside Over Seat Fire Risk
News

Kia Tells Nearly 463,000 Telluride Owners to Park Outside Over Seat Fire Risk

A power seat motor that can overheat and ignite has triggered Kia's second recall of the same fix in two years, covering 2020-2024 Tellurides after 18 reported seat fires.

Mitch HJuly 18, 20263 min read
Honda Kills the Prologue — and With Its 0 Series Plans Already Scrapped, It's Left Without a US EV
News

Honda Kills the Prologue — and With Its 0 Series Plans Already Scrapped, It's Left Without a US EV

The GM-built Prologue ends production in December after just two model years on sale. Honda canceled its home-grown 0 Series SUV and Saloon for North America back in March, so there's no announced successor waiting behind it.

Mitch HJuly 17, 20264 min read
Stellantis Recalls 12,592 New Ram 1500s Over Headlights That Can Just Stop Working
News

Stellantis Recalls 12,592 New Ram 1500s Over Headlights That Can Just Stop Working

A wiring defect in premium headlamp assemblies built between late October 2025 and mid-February 2026 can make the parking lights and daytime running lights flicker or fail outright.

Mitch HJuly 16, 20264 min read
Ford Recalls 741,195 Trucks and SUVs Over a Park System Flaw That Can Let Them Roll Away
News

Ford Recalls 741,195 Trucks and SUVs Over a Park System Flaw That Can Let Them Roll Away

A transmission valve body issue can let the parking pawl engage while a vehicle is still moving, damaging the park system — and Ford says it already has 24 property-damage claims and 9 alleged injuries tied to the defect.

Mitch HJuly 15, 20264 min read
BMW's Starter Recall Keeps Growing — Now It's Reached the Plug-In Hybrids
News

BMW's Starter Recall Keeps Growing — Now It's Reached the Plug-In Hybrids

A new NHTSA filing adds roughly 29,000 more US vehicles, including 530e xDrive and 740Le xDrive models, to a starter-fire recall that already covered 87,000 cars earlier this year.

Mitch HJuly 14, 20264 min read
Rivian Just Raised Its Delivery Forecast — And R2 Is Why
News

Rivian Just Raised Its Delivery Forecast — And R2 Is Why

A quarter after federal EV tax credits disappeared, Rivian delivered more vehicles than it guided for and raised its full-year target, with its just-launched cheaper SUV doing a lot of the lifting.

Mitch HJuly 13, 20264 min read
The EV Market Right Now: Global Records, a Cooling US, and a Tax Credit Hangover
News

The EV Market Right Now: Global Records, a Cooling US, and a Tax Credit Hangover

Globally, electric cars have never sold faster. In the US, first-quarter 2026 sales fell 27% year over year — the clearest sign yet that the end of federal tax credits reset the market rather than ended it.

Mitch HJuly 12, 20265 min read
Kia Recalls Nearly 463,000 Tellurides Over a Seat Switch That Can Catch Fire
News

Kia Recalls Nearly 463,000 Tellurides Over a Seat Switch That Can Catch Fire

A damaged power seat switch can leave the seat motor running until it overheats — and the recall supersedes an earlier fix that sometimes made the problem worse.

Mitch HJuly 12, 20264 min read
Ford Recalls Over 67,000 Mustangs Over a Wiper Motor Chip That Can Fail in Cold Weather
News

Ford Recalls Over 67,000 Mustangs Over a Wiper Motor Chip That Can Fail in Cold Weather

A faulty chip can leave the wipers stuck on high speed and drain washer fluid, part of a wider 110,626-vehicle recall action across two separate Mustang campaigns.

Mitch HJuly 9, 20263 min read
The Collector Car Market Is Cooling — Except at the Very Top
News

The Collector Car Market Is Cooling — Except at the Very Top

Hagerty's broad market index just logged its sixth straight month of decline. The March auction season still did $255.9 million in business.

Mitch HJuly 1, 20265 min read
Tariffs Are Quietly Reshaping the 2026 Price Sheet
News

Tariffs Are Quietly Reshaping the 2026 Price Sheet

Volkswagen raised prices across the board. Toyota's profits took an eight-billion-dollar hit. The tariff bill is coming due at the dealership.

Mitch HJune 30, 20265 min read
The R34 GT-R's Whole Model Year Is Now Legal to Import
News

The R34 GT-R's Whole Model Year Is Now Legal to Import

The 25-year import rule just cleared 2001 — meaning the R34 GT-R V-Spec II, the Evo VII, and the DC5 Integra Type R are all fair game in the US now.

Mitch HJune 24, 20265 min read
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