2020 Ford Mustang recalled because the brake pedal might fall off

Ford is recalling automatic-transmission 2020 Mustang models due to a defect that could result in fracturing of the brake-pedal bracket, possibly causing the bracket to snap. The recall affects 38,005 cars, according to a notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Sept. 23.

First spotted by Roadshow, the defect is due to a change in material for the brake-pedal bracket. A switch was made from nylon to polypropylene with “insufficient design margins,” Ford documents submitted to the NHTSA show. This was only done for automatic-transmission cars; manual-transmission 2020 Mustangs are unaffected. The bracket in question was introduced into production on March 4, 2019 and taken out of production on Aug. 13, 2020, so only cars built during that time span are affected.

During “sudden stopping,” the bracket could snap, making it harder for the driver to brake, according to the recall notice. In the accompanying documents, Ford said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the defect.

2020 Ford Mustang 2.3 High Performance Package

2020 Ford Mustang 2.3 High Performance Package

The recall is expected to begin Nov. 16. Owners of affected cars will be notified by Ford, and dealerships will replace the pedal-bracket assembly free of charge.

Owners can also contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s reference number for this recall is 20S52.

This is the third recall for the 2020 Mustang, with the other two announced in May. One was due to the “transmission not in park” warning message and associated chime being shorter than intended on 2019-’20 Mustangs, as well as some 2019 Expedition models. The 2020 Mustang was also recalled for an improperly calibrated forward-facing camera, which could impact driver-assist features like adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and automatic high beams. That recall affected just 24 cars, however.

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MODIFIED ESCORT RS TURBO EXCLUSIVE – FC TV EP17

Welcome to Fast Car TV! With awesome builds, new products, tech talks and which cars we’d buy to modify, think of it as the magazine…but moving and talking. In this episode, Jules from Fast Car is joined by his boss, Phil Weeden, to discuss retro project cars for under £2000 and get an exclusive scoop on the modified Escort RS Turbo set to dominate the show scene! Make sure you check out Ep16 here and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel

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It’s very rare you see a retro car build like this go to so many lengths to produce what will be a world-beating show cars. Those looking at this for the first time, this is a series 2 modified Escort RS Turbo built by Carl from Players Show. Finished in Porsche Rubystone Red (otherwise known as pink), it perfectly showcases what can be done given the time and vision.

We could spend all day talking about what has gone into this build, but there’s a far easier way of doing that and that is by picking up a copy of Fast Car. We had first look in when it came to this Escort and somehow it has managed to stay off of social media until the magazine on-sale date (Friday 25th September).

Not only do Phil and Jules discuss this week’s feature car, but they also delve into what projects each of them would buy with a £2000 budget. Phil, on the one hand who already owns an Audi TT, would unsurprisingly spend his money on a, you guessed it, Audi TT. The VAG 1.8 turbo engine is a tried and tested motor that we know is highly tuneable, so a great basis to start. Jules, on the other hand, would take a more nostalgic approach and return to our roots with a Citroen Saxo VTS/VTR. Prices are fairly low at the moment for a tidy Saxo, but we all know that won’t last too long.

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The Maserati MC20 has F1 tech

Maserati hasn’t raced in Formula One in decades, but the automaker’s recently unveiled MC20 supercar boasts some F1-derived engine tech, according to Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained.

Specifically, the car’s 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 uses pre-chamber combustion. That means each cylinder has dual combustion chambers, each with its own spark plug. Pre-chamber combustion isn’t new; Honda was using it in the 1970s, Fenske noted. But Maserati is doing something different with the technology.

Maserati is likely the only automaker using a so-called passive pre-chamber system in a production car. As the name implies, air and fuel aren’t actively injected into the pre-chamber, which is smaller than the main combustion chamber and located directly above it. Instead, the air-fuel mixture is drawn into the main combustion chamber, and then pushed up into the pre-chamber, by the motion of the piston.

Maserati Nettuno 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6

Maserati Nettuno 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6

This setup is designed to speed up combustion, which in turn reduces knock, Fenske said. Knock is a major potential issue due to the lean air-fuel ratios used in the engine and other modern engines to pass emissions tests. Maserati’s patent on the design also claims it can reduce fuel consumption by 30%, or allow for an engine to be downsized by 25% while producing the same power as a larger one.

Both the pre-chamber and the main combustion chamber have their own spark plugs. At high rpm and high load, only the pre-chamber spark plug is used, while both are used in other conditions, Fenske said. The amount of time between firing each spark plug can also be adjusted, changing the duration of combustion to warm up the catalytic converter, or even make the engine quieter, Fenske said.

In the MC20, the Nettuno engine produces 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. That allows for 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph, according to Maserati. The automaker hasn’t provided pricing information or a production timeline for the MC20, its first supercar since the MC12 ended production in 2005.

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