Ford Will End Production Of Lincoln Mark Viii Coupe
DETROIT - Ford said it will end production of the Lincoln Mark VIII in June, leaving General Motors' Cadillac Eldorado as the only traditional American luxury coupe left on the market.
Ford is expected to use the Mark name on another luxury car early next century, a fate that the now-discontinued Thunderbird coupe shares.
Killing the Mark VIII frees up factory space for Ford to build the Lincoln LS6 and LS8, new entry-level, front-wheel-drive luxury cars that go on sale in early 1999.
Ford also temporarily abandoned the Mark name from model years 1958 to 1968.
CHRYSLER RECALLS MINIVANS, DURANGO SPORT-UTILITIES
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Chrysler is recalling more than 58,000 minivans and sport-utility vehicles because of possible tire blowouts and engine fires.
One recall involves about 33,600 minivans built between April 1, 1997, and July 21, 1997, at Chrysler's assembly plant in Windsor, Canada, Chrysler spokeswoman Michele Tinson said.
The minivans include all 1997 Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and Grand Voyager, and Chrysler Town and Country minivans with 15-inch tires mounted on steel wheels.
The company said the tires' inner sidewalls may have been cut when they were installed at the plant.
The other recall involves all 25,000 of the Dodge Durango sport-utility vehicles that have been sold since October.
A wire connection in the Durango engine compartment wasn't tightened enough and could cause overheating of the connection's plastic casing and engine fires. Four engine fires, but no injuries, have been reported in Durangos, Tinson said.
FORD RECALLS VARIETY OF VEHICLES WITH PROBLEMS
DETROIT - Ford is voluntarily recalling 652,300 cars and motor homes for problems ranging from flashing headlights to damaged throttle cables, and cautioning the owners of 187,000 sport utility vehicles to use care when reinstalling removable sunroofs.
Ford is recalling 545,000 1993 and 1994 Taurus, Sable, Mark VIII and Continental cars because of a possible malfunction of a circuit breaker. The device might cause the headlights to flash intermittently, the automaker said.
About 64,400 motor homes built on the F-Super Duty chassis from 1993 to 1997 are being recalled because a faulty tube on the engine may cause hot exhaust gases to leak into the passenger compartment.
About 42,900 1995 and 1996 Contour and Mystique cars equipped with traction control are being recalled because the throttle cable may have been damaged during assembly, causing the cable to fray or separate.
Affected owners will be alerted by mail of the recalls, and the work will be completed by dealers at no expense to owners.
In addition to the recalls, the owners of 187,400 Explorer sport utilities from 1991, 1992 and 1993 are being told that the glass in their removable sunroofs might fly off when the vehicle is moving, unless the owners use care to reinstall the panels correctly. The company is mailing owners detailed instructions on the removal and reinstallation of the sunroof.
TOYOTA RECALLS LEXUS MODELS TO FIX STARTER-MOTOR SWITCH
TORRANCE, Calif. - Toyota said its Lexus division is voluntarily recalling 43,000 Lexus models to replace the starter-motor magnetic switch in 1995-1997 LS 400 and 4,000 1996-1997 SC 400 models.
Because of improper assembly of an electrical connector terminal, a short circuit may occur if an electrically conductive liquid such as salt water enters the area, Lexus said.
The starter motor may not operate, and in rare instances an under-hood fire could result, the carmaker said. The affected starter-motor magnetic switches will be replaced at no cost to owners.