This 1969 Mustang Boss 429 from the Jack Roush collection will be offered at the Mecum Nashville sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Inflation surged to a 3-year high of 4.2 percent in May, adding pressure to an already strained auto market as rate cut hopes fade and consumer demand for new vehicles softens. More at CBT News.
+ President Trump indicated that the U.S. will not renew the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) at the 1 July review milestone of the current trade deal. More at Automotive World.
+ BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu says he expects the Chinese company to become the world’s largest automaker within five years, reassuring investors after a recent share price decline. More at World Auto Forum.
+ The FIA has taken up its option to extend Pirelli’s contract as tire supplier to the Formula 1 series and its associated championships until at least the end of the 2028 season. More at Racer.
+ CEO Oliver Blume says Volkswagen will press forward with planned job cuts and cost reductions in Germany, reducing its workforce by 19,000 people by the end of the year. More at MSN.
+ General Motors is shifting some attention from LFP (lithium-iron phosphate) to LMR (lithium manganese-rich (LMR) EV battery technology for its greater energy density. More at Autoblog.
+ Ford is recalling 548,463 Expedition SUVs from 2018 to 2024 because the chrome plating on the center console could peel off, exposing sharp edges to the passengers. More at Car and Driver.
+ A 10-day strike at an American Axle/Dauch Corporation plant in Three Rivers, Michigan ended with a tentative contract agreement between the United Auto Workers and Dauch. More at WJR.
+ Select vehicles from the Jack Roush collection, including his personal cars and a number of winning NASCAR racers, will be offered at the Mecum Nashville auction. More at Old Cars.
+ After a disappointing 2026 season to date, NASCAR Cup driver Josh Berry and Wood Brothers Racing confirmed that Berry will not be returning to the team next year. More at Yahoo! Sports.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from June 8 here.
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Surprisingly, Ford Motor Company had issued a safety defect recall NHTSA# 26V368 for 548,463 ’18-’24 MY Expedition SUVs due to defective center console chrome trim supplied by Xin Point and Forvia. Chrome plating on the plastic console bubbles and peels away from its base material, creating razor-sharp edges that occupants can easily touch while driving. Globally, Ford has confirmed accidents and injuries directly tied to this peeling plastic plating failure, with victims suffering hand and finger lacerations sharp enough that required professional medical attention (like stitches, bandages and tetenus shots?). No mention if blood stain removal from upholstery is part of the recall procedure.
Quote from Part 573 Report,
“On October 16, 2025, Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) opened an investigation regarding
center console chrome trim peeling on 2019-2021MY Ford Expedition vehicles.
CCRG preliminarily concluded that a safety recall was not appropriate, based primarily on the
determination that the condition is overt to the customer and is easily detectable, mitigating the severity and reducing the risk of severe outcomes. CCRG subsequently re-evaluated the severity of the injuries that could result from the peeling of the chrome trim, including by expanding its review of reportinjuries, field reports and warranty claims, and concluded that injuries could potentially be more
significant than initially thought.”
When plastic interior components are electroplated with metallic chrome, the chemical and thermal bonding parameters must be exact. If not, exposure to heat cycles, humidity, and regular human touch causes moisture to get trapped under the defective thin metal layer, leading it to bubble, crack, and lift away. Because real metal plating is used, when the bubble cracks open, the peeling edge remains rigid, stiff, and sharp enough to act like open razor blades right next to the cup holders.
FYI, American Honda Motor Company submitted a formal Part 573 Defect Information Report to NHTSA, #26V365 on 6/4/26. This safety defect recall affects 880,514 vehicles covering ’16-’22 Pilot, ’17-’23 Ridgeline, ’19-’23 Passport, and ’14-’20 Acura MDX models operated in “Salt Belt” states (slice and dice). The ODI report outlines a “severe structural hazard” where a “manufacturing paint-adhesion defect” allows winter road salt to accumulate inside the rear unibody, causing the rear subframe to corrode and fracture from the inside out. Sound familiar?
The mandated remediation protocol dictates a strict Honda service-bay triage sequence: recalled vehicles that fail a physical structural stress test or suffer internal hardware breakage during disassembly will be “stripped of safety certification and subjected to a corporate buyout”, while passing vehicles will receive a “multi-piece steel reinforcement bracket kit” to sandwich and brace the compromised frame rails…