Ford Territory accelerator pedal recall affects police fleet

Ford Australia is recalling roughly 300 Ford Territory models employed by police forces nationwide due to an accelerator pedal issue.

The 302 current-generation SZ Ford Territory models built between April 11, 2011 and May 24, 2012 fitted with Ford’s Police Equipment Pack are at risk of having their accelerator pedals interfered with by an incorrectly fitted driver’s side footwell trim panel.

The official recall notice published on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) website explains:

“Interference with the accelerator pedal travel could result in the engine not returning to idle, posing a potential crash hazard.”

As per normal, Ford Australia says letters have been sent to owners notifying them of the recall and recommending vehicles be brought into Ford service centres to be inspected and, if required, repaired. The repair should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Despite the recall affecting the entire fleet of Police Pack Territorys built in the given time period, Ford’s Sinead Phipps told CarAdvice that while a small number of reports of the issue initiated the recall, there have been no reports of any injuries.

In August 2011, 3681 Ford Territory SZ models were recalled for a fuel line return hose fault that had the potential to lead to a fuel leak.

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2013 Mazda CX-9 unveiled: global debut in Australia

A new-look Mazda CX-9 has been revealed, with the Japanese brand announcing the redesigned seven-seater SUV will make its global debut at the 2012 Sydney motor show.

The styling of the big SUV has been brought into line with the rest of the Mazda family and isn’t a new-generation model like the smaller Mazda CX-5 released earlier in 2012. Design changes are focused on the front and rear ends, with the headlights and grille familiar from the CX-5.

The revised Mazda CX-9 remains on the same platform as the original launched in 2007 and shared with the Ford Edge. It also carries over the same 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine that produces 204kW of power and 366Nm of torque, mated to the same six-speed auto.

There are no SkyActiv technologies featured on the revised Mazda CX-9, such as the lighter-weight chassis or i-Eloop brake energy regeneration system found on all-new models such as the Mazda CX-5 and Mazda6 that are aimed at improving fuel efficiency.

The result is no change in consumption for the CX-9, which is currently 11.0L/100km for the front-wheel-drive version and 11.3L/100km for the model equipped with all-wheel drive.

“The CX-9 is our flagship and while not a volume seller it does very well for our brand,” says Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver. “It’s well regarded for its driving dynamics. We have said that SkyActiv technologies will be adopted across the entire Mazda range but there’s no announcement for this [CX-9] yet.”

The update also brings some upgrades to the CX-9′s infotainment system and there are additional active safety features including lane departure warning, forward obstruction warning and high beam control.

Mazda says it has sold more than 210,000 CX-9s in 74 countries since the SUV first hit the road in 2007.

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