The U.S. National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) has launched a preliminary investigation into rust issues with Ford Motor's (F) F-150 pickups, according to a post on the agency's website. The automaker's 1997 to 2001 model year F-150 pickups have been the target of at least 32 consumer complaints, with drivers alleging that fuel tanks have dropped out onto the road due to corrosive rust in the support straps.

The investigation, which was opened Sept. 7, covers approximately 1.4 million pickup trucks. NHTSA says that no fires or injuries have yet been reported in conjunction with the rusted straps, but the issue nevertheless "presents a fire hazard from leaking gasoline as well as an obstruction hazard to vehicles following the subject trucks."

The East Coast is broiling, hitting temperatures of 100 degrees or more. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is losing 100 points or more in a day. When it does rally, it can't seem to hold on to gains. So while Easterners burn, investors are the ones feeling the heat.

The explanation is simple: nothing's going on. Sure, there are some economic releases, but they're not very meaningful. Unemployment moves a little bit, up or down. It's only if it were to decrease significantly that it could make a real difference. Housing sales have plummeted. Turns out the housing credit of $8,000 that ended in April was important. New housing starts are down even further this month as builders aren't breaking ground for a while. All the stimulus from the government is sitting in corporate treasury bank accounts or simply in the banks, waiting to be put to work, once people get a chance to work.

Just one hour into Wednesday's session, call volume on Ford Motor (F) had already ramped up to 1.72 times the expected level, with roughly 17,000 contracts crossing the tape. The stock's 12-strike call options were popular in early trading, with roughly 5,000 contracts changing hands on Ford's July 12 and September 12 calls.

The majority of the call options at both strikes traded near the ask price, indicating they were most likely purchased, and implied volatility has climbed on both options. In other words, it appears that traders are buying new calls at these narrowly out-of-the-money strikes.

U.S. automaker Ford (F) will be investing $200 million in Brazil. The details: it will use its facilities in that South American country to develop and build a small, eco-friendly SUV for sale in many global markets. The model: the Ford EcoSport (should be interesting, right?).

This adds to Ford's existing investment and more that the automaker plans, which bring Ford's total investment in Brazil to $2.4 billion in the 2011-2015 time frame. Right now, the EcoSport is a best seller in Brazil and if recent times are any indication, the model would be a hit in the U.S. and in other countries.

The damage that Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Company (TM) is sustaining is sizable. Once a bastion of reliability and trustworthiness in the auto industry, the perception has swung rapidly the other way in just the past six months.

Indeed, the footage showing Toyota vehicles apparently racing down highways with little control happening from behind the wheel are powerful -- more powerful than Toyota's meager "We thank you" advertising campaign. Which automaker is taking advantage of this situation by proxy? Why, Ford Motor Company (F) of course.

Ford's (F) Alan Mulally believes that the U.S. automaker stands to gain more market share in the U.S. at the expense of Japan's Toyota, which is in the midst of a huge product recall and public relations nightmare. Mulally's statement sounds pretty obvious, but it's true. It's already happening.

Ford Motor (F) is currently riding a wave of positivity. The lone automaker not to be bailed out by the U.S. government in 2009 said Tuesday that February vehicle sales soared 43% over the prior February, with the automaker also picking up 3% more market share in the U.S. (bringing its total to 17%). With the near-collapse of GM and Chrysler, and with Toyota's (TM) current product malfunction and recall nightmare, Ford is poised to continue winning more and more sales.

Is Ford the next Toyota? Could be -- it's making all the right moves, is winning product accolades and is making the best cars it has in decades. Not only did Ford sales rise 43% from the same 2009 period, they were up 22% over the January period, the exact same time as Toyota's carpet started slipping out from under its own feet. For February, Ford surpassed GM in U.S. sales (possibly short-lived; possibly not). The total was not large, but it happened.

Now that Toyota Motor Company (TM) is embroiled in a sea of bad publicity and severe trust problems around the world, Ford Motor Company (F) has now announced that a "software upgrade" to owners of recent Ford Fusion Hybrid vehicle owners is needed to fix "strange feelings" in the brakes of those cars.

So, what is it with all these higher-tech vehicles having so many odd braking problems? Good question -- and now that the similar issues from Toyota and Ford are now public, how many other cars will need a reboot to fix problems? Although Toyota's CEO has now publicly apologized for that automaker's numerous issues, will Ford do the same? Is this the new order of the day: transparency and apology from automakers in lieu of recalls?

Ford (F) and Japanese partner Mazda are about to part ways for good. The two automakers -- who have shared manufacturing and design platforms for over two decades, now find it better to research, design and manufacture independently. This is bad for Mazda mostly -- and now there is word the two companies may pull out of their Chinese joint venture with partner Changuan Automobile.

Ford (F) CEO Alan Mulally celebrated December auto sales that came in stronger than anticipated by stating that Ford's sales forecast for 2010 were "conservative." In 2009, auto sales in the U.S. dropped to 10.5 million units -- the worst performance since the early '80s.

Mulally believes 2010 will bring industry sales of 11.5 to 12.5 million vehicles, saying "we think that is relatively conservative looking at the data for this year." December's upswing put the annualized forecast sales rate at 11.6 million units, and Mulally indicated that Ford should be solidly profitable in 2011 -- just two years after both its U.S. competitors took federal bailout money and saw GM declare bankruptcy.