Hitachi Maf0049 Mass Air Flow Sensor on 2040-parts.com

New Ford Kuga arrives in the guise of 2012 / 2013 Ford Escape

The 2013 Ford Escape arrives - the 2012 Ford Kuga The reveal of the new Ford Escape ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show this week may not have the Kuga badge on its boot, but it is – bar a few tweaks and engine changes – just what we’ll see in Europe as the 2012 Ford Kuga. Based on the European-designed Ford Vertrek concept, the Ford Escape replaces the old-fashioned North American escape with a very European take on a compact SUV, but one that benefits from much more room to accommodate average Americans. The Ford Kuga / Escape is the next instalment in Ford’s plan to unify its models around the world.

Fisker Automotive lays off some workers as government reworks loan

Work on the Fisker Nina family sedan has temporarily halted at the Fisker Automotive plant in Wilmington, Del., while the carmaker and the federal government hash out details of the company's $529 million Department of Energy loan. The interruption has resulted in the layoff of 26 people at its Delaware plant and a number of contract engineers at Fisker's Anaheim, Calif., headquarters. Fisker Automotive said some of the engineering-staff reductions in Anaheim were already planned to occur in between development of the Karma and the Nina.

Government checks Ford sedans for gas pedals trapped by floor mats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into reports of accelerator pedals being trapped by floor mats in the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans. NHTSA says its probe covers about 249,000 cars from the 2010 model year. There have been three complaints about pedals being trapped by all-weather floor mats.