Visitors to theFordStory.com have been very busy this week submitting ideas to the Your Ideas section for Ford to consider. Some of the ideas are really interesting, but don’t take our word for it. Check out which ones are getting voted up and read the comments that other visitors are posting. And while you’re there, why not add your idea, vote a few up (or down) and add your voice to the comment stream? It’s easy to sort through the ideas using the categories, and you can view ideas by date or by popularity.

Naturally, there are also lots of Your Stories to read this week, as well as quite a few stories that we posted. Here is what’s new on theFordStory.com this week:

Your Stories

By the Grace of God

On August 15, 2011 my father and grandmother were in a very bad car accident in Dearborn. The accident took place at 3:23 p.m. on Ford Road near Southfield Freeway. The crash involved two Flexs and another vehicle. I believe the safety features of the Flex and the grace of God saved my dad and grandma. Read more…

My Tool Box

I had a customer who bought a 2010 Transit and loved it. So I bought a 2011 and love it too. Holds a ton of gear, fun to drive, extremely well thought out. Good on fuel and HANDY. I waited years for a Euro sized van and it finally arrived. Kudos to Ford. Read more…

Your Ideas

Self Driving Car

What is Ford doing to ensure that they are pioneering self driving cars? Google has been working on this. This is not a novelty trick. Read more…

Floating Car

What would it really take to make a car that wont sink? I think a little innovative engineering could make this reality in every Ford vehicle. Read more…

Sun Blockers

Please make sun visors that are fully adjustable. I’m referring to when they are blocking the side window, and you can pull them back and they will slide to where you want them to be. Read more…

Heat the Door Frame

In the winter we have heated seat, huge heaters,heated back windows and defrosters, But If we can not get in the car because of frozen door handle, frozen locks and doors frozen to the rubber molding we just stand there and pull on the door ripping the rubber or breaking the door handle. Read more…

Passenger Controls

When there is a passenger in the seat, (which my car knows, as it turns off the passenger air bag if under 50lbs)when the weight is over 50lbs or even 100lbs, they should be able to use poi or address on the navigation system.  Read more…

Our Stories

The two automakers will collaborate on a system for light trucks and SUVs

Breaking News: Ford and Toyota Team on Hybrid System

You might think that automakers always have one another in the crosshairs. But it turns out there can be opportunities for collaboration, especially when it comes to advanced technology and bringing it to the public sooner and more affordably than one automaker could do alone. Case in point? Ford and Toyota, the two leading manufacturers of hybrid vehicles, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the intent to jointly develop a hybrid system for light trucks and SUVs. Read more…

More information about today’s news announcement

Ford Answers Questions about the Collaboration Between Ford and Toyota

The news of Ford and Toyota signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the intent of co-developing some specific hybrid and telematics technologies generated a whole lot of comments and questions. In fact, over 100 comments were posted in just a few hours.

Derrick Kuzak, Ford Chief of Product Development, took the time to answer many of the questions in this video, such as what is this Memorandum of Understanding really about? Read more…

The 2.0-liter four-cylinder’s biggest claim to fame? Awesome fuel economy

Ford EcoBoost Engine Expands to 2012 Edge and Explorer

It’s here! The 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine is available in the 2012 Ford Edge and Explorer, shipping to dealerships as we speak! It can be had in the front-wheel-drive models. And by the way, you thought the Edge and Explorer boasted great fuel economy before? Equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost, the Edge with EcoBoost has a hearty EPA-estimated 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. Meanwhile, the Explorer has an EPA-estimated 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, which is a 30 percent highway fuel-efficiency increase over the most economical previous-gen 2010 Explorer. Read more…

Back to school means driving for many teens – here is some safety information for teen drivers that can really be a life saver

Join the Live Chat with Ford and AAA to Talk About Helping Teens Drive More Safely

It’s back to school time, and for many teens, that will mean driving themselves back-and-forth to school. Here are a couple of startling statistics to start the school year off: Vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of teenagers in America and nearly 5,000 teens die annually in such accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Additionally, a AAA crash analysis showed that after-school weekday hours of 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. are nearly as dangerous for 16- and 17-year-old drivers as weekend nights. There are steps that teens and parents can take to help change these numbers. Read more…

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