Good morning! It’s Tuesday, November 19, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know.
1st Gear: Feds Open Two Probes Into Ford Recalls
Ford was hit with the second largest fine in the history of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week after being handed a $165 million penalty over its handing of recalls in recent years. After pledging to clean up its act following the fine, the American automaker is now the subject of two more investigations, proving that you can’t really teach an old dog new tricks.
The NHTSA has opened two new recalls into Ford’s handling of recalls, reports Reuters. The probes relate to recalls of models that were hit with seatbelt issues and power loss problems, as Reuters reports:
On Monday, the auto safety regulator opened an investigation into whether Ford should recall 112,000 Ford Expedition SUVs over seat belt issues and another into whether Ford’s recall of 456,000 SUVs over a loss of power and an electrical system failure is adequate.
The agency has received three complaints, alleging an inadvertent deployment of the seat belt retractor pretensioner. The complaints referenced a loud sound followed by the seat belt rapidly tightening and remaining in the locked position. The investigation follows the February recall by Ford of 77,000 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs over the issue.
NHTSA is investigating if Ford’s April recall of about 456,000 Bronco Sport and Ford Maverick vehicles over a loss of power stemming from sudden degradation of the 12-volt battery is adequate to address the issue.
The recall fix is a series of software updates designed to provide improved detection of the 12-volt battery state of charge but NHTSA has received 15 reports describing loss of power incidents for Ford Bronco Sport vehicles that received the software update.
In both instances, Ford issued the recalls once a fix had been uncovered for the problems, however the NHTSA is now investigating the effectiveness of those fixes and scope of the recalls. Ford says it is cooperating with the investigation, but will no doubt be hoping that the feds don’t uncover anything untoward.
As part of the $165 million fine that Ford was handed last week, almost a third was set aside as a deferred payment that would only be collected if the Blue Oval failed to clean up its act with regards to recalls. As part of this deal, the company is required to review all recalls it has filed in the last three years. If any are found to be unsatisfactory, the company must issue further recalls of impacted models.
As Ford is already one of the most recalled car brands here in the U.S., so any additional call backs of its models will be sure to hit consumer confidence in its ability to build reliable cars.
2nd Gear: Sean Duffy Named Transportation Secretary
Happy two week Trumpaversary! It’s now been 14 days since convicted felon Donald Trump won the vote of the American people to become president in the new year. In that time, he’s slowly been filling his cabinet and has now named his nomination for transportation secretary.
Trump chose former congressman Sean Duffy as his pick to lead the Department of Transportation when he takes office in 2025, reports Bloomberg. In a statement about his selection, Trump took to Truth Social to explain that Duffy would be key to “ushering in the golden age of travel, focusing on safety, efficiency, and innovation.”
In the role, Duffy will oversee the way we get around during the Trump administration, which Trump said would involve “elevating” the travel experience for all Americans:
Under Trump, the department will take a lead role in altering federal infrastructure investment to look more like what the incoming president and Republican congressional leaders seek.
That includes potentially fewer bike lanes, more highway widenings, less federally supported mass transit — or none at all, if the policy planners from the Heritage Foundation get their way. Building new airports, a favorite talking point of Trump’s back when he was first president, is poised to gain new attention.
Duffy, who currently presents the “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business, is the latest in a string of Fox News personalities to have been selected by Trump to serve in his government. His nomination follows the appointment Pete Hegseth as Trump’s secretary of defense, which was announced just last week.
The “Home Alone 2” actor has also given top jobs to Tesla boss Elon Musk, who Trump wants to lead a new agency on government efficiency. Ironically, Musk will be one of two managers at the agency intent on streamlining government processes.
3rd Gear: Hyundai Workers Die While Testing Cars
Three workers at a Hyundai plant in South Korea have died, reports Automotive News. The three workers were reportedly carrying out tests on a car in a specially designed chamber at the automaker’s No. 4 factory in the South Korean city of Ulsan.
The three Hyundai employees died at 3 p.m. local time Tuesday, reports Automotive News. Police and the country’s labor ministry are now investigating the deaths:
The two Hyundai researchers and one Hyundai contractor were found unconscious in a car at around 3:00 p.m. local time on Nov. 19 while they were testing it in a “chamber,” according to Hyundai’s labor union.
Media reports said the three had suffocated.
Hyundai said it would “cooperate fully with all relevant authorities to determine the cause of this incident.”
The Ulsan plant is Hyundai’s biggest manufacturing facility, with its own port and an annual production capacity of 1.4 million vehicles, including exports of 1.1 million units.
The three employees killed have not yet been identified by authorities, but an investigation into the cause of their deaths has now been launched.
The deaths at the Hyundai plant come just three months after workers were killed at automotive factories here in the U.S. In August, an investigation was launched after a Tesla worker died at its Texas site and a Jeep employee was also killed at a site in Ohio.
4th Gear: Stellantis Jobs Cuts Are Mounting
Layoffs are sweeping the automotive sector right now, with General Motors cutting 1,000 jobs earlier this week and Nissan announcing job cuts of its own. Stellantis has been leading the way in job cuts, however, with layoffs hitting almost every corner of its business.
In recent weeks, Stellantis has announced a cut in shifts at its Jeep Gladiator plant, has cut jobs at a Detroit parts facility and laid off staff following the end of its Ram 1500 production, reports Automotive News:
As Stellantis prepares to build more electric vehicles, the company has eliminated thousands of jobs to reduce costs, improve efficiency and align production with demand amid lackluster sales.
The automaker’s broad job cuts in the U.S. have touched hourly, salaried and supplemental employees this year, and it already has confirmed more planned for 2025.
In total, layoffs at the automaker have hit more than 3,500 jobs across its locations throughout the U.S. In addition, the company launched voluntary buyout programs to further cut its workforce here in America, these were offered to more than 6,000 employees in various sectors.
The job cuts across the board paint a bleak picture for Stellantis, which has had a tough year in 2024. As well as cutting its workforce, the automaker has also revealed that its CEO is on the way out, has struggled with falling sales across its brands and has managed to piss off almost every one of its American dealers. Clearly, a lot of work is needed to begin turning around the fortunes of the automotive giant.