Chrysler Goes To Trial Over Fiery Jeep Crash, Defends Fuel Tanks

A 2006 fatal crash involving a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee and one more 4-year-old youngster burned to death, Cassidy Jarmon, is pictured in Cleburne, Texas.

Older Jeeps with fuel tanks situated behind the rear axle might lead to explosive testimony in case against Chrysler beginning trial in Georgia. This month, a loved ones whose 4-year-old son burned to death in the back of a 1999 Grand Cherokee is beginning trial against the automaker—and in contrast to most large organizations facing wrongful-death claims, Chrysler is refusing to settle.

Bryan and Lindsay Walden of Bainbridge, Georgia, brought the suit against Chrysler in July 2012, 4 months following their son, Remington, was killed when a 1997 Dodge Dakota rear-ended the ’99 Grand Cherokee in which he was riding. According to Automotive News, the boy only suffered a broken leg from the influence but “died screaming in a fire so intense his chest fused to the Jeep’s door” as he attempted to escape his booster seat. He may possibly have been alive for an complete minute even though engulfed in flames.

As heart-wrenching as this account is, the Waldens aren’t alone. There are more than 70 fire-associated deaths from rear-end collisions in older Grand Cherokees and Libertys, according to the Detroit News. Security advocates like Jenelle Embrey—who claimed to witness a mother and teen burn to death in a Grand Cherokee and later sent an on the internet petition with 128,000 signatures to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2013—say there are hundreds far more.

Embrey’s petition led to a NHTSA investigation that discovered greater-than-average fatality rates amongst 1993-1998 Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Liberty models. Chrysler contends that these are higher-speed, high-energy collisions, that the Jeeps are no less protected than their contemporaries, and that they met all safety standards of the time.

In June 2013, soon after initially refusing a NHTSA recall request, Chrysler did recall 1.56 million of those Jeeps and sent letters to yet another 710,000 owners of later, 1999-2004 Grand Cherokees as a “customer service campaign,” advising them to bring in their vehicles to have tow hitches installed.

On these Jeeps, the fuel tanks are positioned behind the rear axle just inches away from the rear bumper and have fuel filler hoses that run by means of the frame rails. Beginning with the redesigned 2005 Grand Cherokee, Chrysler repositioned the tank away from the rear bumper.

The trailer hitch is supposed to provide some additional measure of protection for the fuel tank, at least in low-speed collisions. But former NHTSA administrator Joan Claybrook says these hitches may really do more damage, citing a Grand Cherokee fire in 2006 throughout which the hitch pierced the tank. Claybrook, as element of Nader’s Center for Auto Safety, suggested that NHTSA require Chrysler to set up metal shields and reinforce the filler hose, and crash-test a car with these upgraded parts.

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The Walden case presents a lot more trouble for Chrysler. As an alternative of a closed settlement, a jury will make a decision Chrysler’s fate and could simply open the door to further, effective lawsuits. Details from the case are currently getting created public, such as the deposition of Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne in January, who said that he does not think there is the “slightest proof that Grand Cherokee or the class that we’re talking about here are defective.”

That a tiny civil suit in Georgia is even involving the CEO of a giant, global automaker should be proof that these fuel tank fires have substance in court. It is not recognized whether or not Chrysler has settled any related cases.

Chrysler Goes To Trial Over Fiery Jeep Crash, Defends Fuel Tanks

Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota Recall 2.13 Million Automobiles for Airbags that Deploy with no Warning

Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota are recalling a lot more than 2 million vehicles to fix airbags that can all of a sudden deploy without having warning, according to filings posted this morning by the National Highway Targeted traffic Safety Administration. This is the second round of recalls for the very same dilemma stemming from late 2012.

These recalls (which are not connected to the Takata airbag inflators that can explode shrapnel) have been prompted by a NHTSA investigation from Could that looked at a earlier 2012 recall of Jeep SUVs. In that instance, front and side-curtain airbags manufactured by supplier TRW were inadvertently deploying due to electrical faults in the airbag circuitry. Chrysler’s initial submissions cited 215 reports of faulty deployments and 81 injuries from the airbags, and by May possibly of last year, it had informed NHTSA of an extra 6 deployments that occurred on autos previously repaired with a new wiring harness incorporating an electrical noise filter.

So far through October, Chrysler has reported a further 18 accidental deployments on repaired vehicles—a total of 18 Libertys and 6 Grand Cherokees—where the noise-filter remedy clearly failed. Chrysler admits it nonetheless can not figure out what’s causing the “electrical overstress” and so it’s now replacing the complete airbag manage module rather of installing new wiring.

A total of 753,176 Chrysler models, including the 2002–2003 Jeep Liberty, 2002–2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 2003–2004 Dodge Viper, are incorporated in the U.S. Chrysler mentioned it wasn’t aware of any airbag deployments in Vipers, and whilst there have been at least 81 injuries, there have been no associated crashes.

Likewise, Honda is recalling 374,177 cars—specifically, the 2003–2004 Honda Odyssey and 2003 Acura MDX—after studying of an accidental deployment on a 2003 Odyssey in April. So far, Honda has reported 8 accidental deployments and no injuries involving automobiles that had received the original wiring repair.

The recall also spreads to incorporate 1,006,849 2003–2004 Toyota Avalon, Corolla, and Matrix models (as properly as the Toyota-constructed Matrix twin, the Pontiac Vibe). Nevertheless, in contrast to Chrysler and Honda, Toyota had already begun replacing airbag modules in addition to installing noise filters in the course of its initial January 2013 and later March 2014 recall campaigns. Still, simply because dealers only replaced modules that threw a faulty code, several a lot more potentially bad modules are nonetheless across the million-plus automobiles just recalled.

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Airbag supplier TRW will not have any new handle modules ready “until the latter element of 2015,” according to NHTSA. In the meantime, Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota owners will be notified to have the noise filter installed, if they haven’t already, as an interim repair. All the cars are supposedly safe to drive, even though some Jeep owners have witnessed airbags and even the seatbelt pre-tensioners getting triggered at times prior to even a warning light seems. If you’d like to know if your automobile is among these affected, you can use NHTSA’s VIN lookup tool to search the database.

Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota Recall 2.13 Million Automobiles for Airbags that Deploy with no Warning

Chrysler Recalls two.9 Million U.S. Automobiles With Takata Airbags

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced today that it will vastly expand its recall of older Dodge, Chrysler, and Mitsubishi vehicles to replace driver-side airbags manufactured by disgraced auto supplier Takata. The expanded recall affects an estimated 3.3 million autos constructed between 2004 and 2007, 2.9 million of which are in the U.S. See under for the full list of impacted models.

In a statement, the automaker says that neither FCA US nor Takata has identified any defects in the airbags employed in the newly-recalled vehicles, despite conducting “more than 1,000 laboratory tests.” The Takata elements used in the newly-recalled FCA automobiles are a different style from those linked to injury or death triggered by shrapnel shooting out of the airbag in the course of deployment. The automaker reports one U.S. injury linked to an older Chrysler automobile, which occurred in Florida.

But in the wake of the increasingly disastrous findings about potentially-deadly Takata airbags, the NHTSA has publicly criticized automakers for not extending their recalls nationwide, and the agency’s deputy chief David Friedman singled out Chrysler in a scathing criticism in early December. FCA US had previously performed a little recall action limited to high-humidity regions of Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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With this choice, FCA US joins Ford, Toyota, Honda, and Mazda in launching nationwide recalls on Takata components. Impacted cars are listed beneath. For ongoing Takata recall coverage, check our continually updated Takata details portal.

Model years 2004 via 2007 are impacted for all listed cars.

Dodge Ram: 1500, 2500, 3500 pickups 3500 Chassis Cab

Dodge: Durango, Charger, Magnum, Dakota

Chrysler: Aspen, 300

Mitsubishi: Raider

Chrysler Recalls two.9 Million U.S. Automobiles With Takata Airbags

Report: Chrysler Pentastar V-6 Engines to Get Direct Injection, Turbocharging

December 8, 2014 at 5:49 pm by Andrew Wendler | Photography by Michael Simari and the Manufacturer

According to a report in Automotive News, Chrysler is preparing to adopt direct injection and turbocharging in an effort to improve fuel economy and enhance the output of its Pentastar V-6 family of engines. Referred to as the Pentastar Upgrade—or PUG for short—the revised engines are element of the maker’s strategy for meeting tightening CAFE requirements.

According to the AN‘s source, the initial engine to benefit from the program will be Chrysler’s ubiquitous 3.6-liter V-6, the updated version of which is slated to debut in late 2015 as element of a mild refresh of the Grand Cherokee. Subsequent up will be a reworked 3.2-liter V-6, which is scheduled to arrive in the redesigned Chrysler Town & Country minivan sometime in 2016. Mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission and taking benefit of the new minivan’s (alleged) improved aerodynamics and weight reduction, fuel economy for the T&C is expected to improve by at least 25 percent more than the present model’s EPA ratings of 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

The V-6 Jeep Grand Cherokee (2014 model shown) could soon pack direct injection.

It is not the least bit surprising that Chrysler would contemplate adopting technology that is grow to be basically commonplace across the industry, and the positive aspects of undertaking so will reach across the corporate umbrella. At present, the 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar is accessible in the Jeep Wrangler, Ram 1500 pickup, Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300, and Dodge Charger, amongst other individuals. If the reworked engines can aid Chrysler achieve fuel-economy gains equivalent to the projected figure quoted for the Town & Country, they would go a lengthy way in keeping the automaker’s CAFE numbers on an upward trend. Plus the thought of a twin-turbocharged, 400-plus-hp V-6 Dodge Charger tends to make us a tiny giddy, even if it might cause havoc among the Dodge brand’s Hemi-dominated horsepower hierarchy.

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The supply also indicated that Fiat’s MultiAir variable valve timing technologies will continue to be utilised elsewhere, but “other naturally aspirated engines in the Fiat-Chrysler lineup are also getting regarded as for turbocharging.” This news dovetails nicely with the anticipated arrival of the 2017 Dodge Dart SRT, which likely will pack all-wheel drive and a turbocharged version of the Tigershark 4-cylinder.

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Report: Chrysler Pentastar V-6 Engines to Get Direct Injection, Turbocharging

Chrysler Offers 2015 200S a Considerably-Needed Mopar Upgrade for SEMA

The 2015 Chrysler 200 is strikingly handsome—particularly for its value range—but the mid-size sedan needs some thing a lot more distinctive to stand out in its crowded segment. Ahead of subsequent month’s blowout SEMA show, we got a peek at the juiced-up 200S that Chrysler will display at the Vegas extravaganza. Now this is far more like it.Most notable is the car’s enhanced stance. Dropped down on a Mopar coil-more than kit, the sedan looks decidedly much more sinister. Chrysler says the dropped suspension will sharpen the car’s handling response, an location that certainly demands improvement. Matte-gold 19-inch wheels accent the black vehicle and are developed to show off the slotted rotors of the Mopar large-brake kit. A new body kit (chin spoiler, side sills, and a mini rear diffuser) enhances the lower-and-wider appear.

The mission of this customized 200S goes beyond dressing up the stature of Chrysler’s mainstream 4-door—it also serves as a rolling company card for the Mopar catalog. The massive-brake kit will be available almost quickly the body kit will hit the Mopar catalog in the first quarter of 2015 and the 19-inch wheels, coil-overs, and intake and exhaust will come sometime quickly following that.

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Clients who are not keen on tinkering with a brand-new Chrysler themselves will uncover these Mopar accessories accessible by means of Chrysler’s on the internet car builder, operating in conjunction with the Mopar Custom Shop. Once a buyer configures the automobile and the factory builds it, Mopar sends it to one of numerous Custom Shops around the country to have the accessories installed ahead of the auto is delivered. It is not old-college hot-rodding, but it’s the factory-approved way to give Chrysler’s mid-sizer a tiny far more street attitude.

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Chrysler Offers 2015 200S a Considerably-Needed Mopar Upgrade for SEMA

Smoke and Mirrors: Chrysler Recalls 786,000 Vehicles For Heated-Mirror Short Circuits and Much more

Chrysler is recalling a lot more than 786,000 cars in the U.S. to repair failing alternators, energy mirrors that can commence a fire, airbag sensors, and head restraints.

The 2011–2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger, Durango, and Jeep Grand Cherokee have alternators that can fail due to “thermal fatigue in the silicon diode.” This means the car can either drop battery power, disable electrical systems such as the anti-lock brakes and stability manage, or stall fully due to a brief circuit, with or without having prior warning from the dashboard display. A total of 434,581 automobiles are affected, all using the 3.6-liter V-6 and 160-amp alternator. Chrysler said it began investigating the problem in August and has received 394 complaints and reports of faulty alternators, like 1 accident. The automaker is not conscious of any injuries or deaths resulting from this issue. Official notice to consumers is scheduled to start on November 28, by which time Chrysler expects to have a remedy lined up.

Heated power side mirrors on the 2011–2013 Jeep Wrangler can brief and trigger a fire due to water dripping on the door panels, hence confirming the suspicions of Jeep devotees that the Wrangler was never ever meant to have heated power side mirrors (they became optional for the initial time in 2011). Water on the door panels can run along the wiring harness inside the doors and trickle onto the connector, which can result in a quick and a attainable fire. Chrysler said it had tracked down 27 incidences right after 1st understanding of 3 Canadian Wranglers with broken mirror connectors, which were traced to winter weather conditions. Chrysler redesigned the ground connection for the 2014 model year and will repair existing models beginning in December by moving the mirror’s energy cable away from intruding water and shielding it. A total of 313,236 autos are affected. No injuries have been reported.

On 18,245 Ram C/V Tradesman vans from 2013–2015—the hardly ever observed Dodge Grand Caravan variant that replaces the side windows with steel panels—Chrysler will update software for side and curtain airbag sensors. The sensors may be fooled into deploying the airbags since of excessive resonance within the gutted minivan’s physique (normally, the sensors are situated close to HVAC and audio elements that dampen the vibrations). Repairs are accessible now. No injuries have been reported.

An additional 18,951 Ram ProMaster full-size vans from 2014 require their front headrests replaced because they may be too far away from the occupants’ heads. Chrysler is sourcing replacement components and has not reported any injuries.

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Lastly, the SRT Viper is getting recalled for an airbag sensor that may possibly read the seat as becoming closer to the dash than it actually is. As a outcome, the airbag could deploy with also small force. Dealers “will set up a shim created to afford the sensor an precise seat-position reading.” A total of 1624 Vipers from model years 2013–2014 are affected. No related injuries have been reported.

Smoke and Mirrors: Chrysler Recalls 786,000 Vehicles For Heated-Mirror Short Circuits and Much more

2015 Chrysler 200 Limited Tested: Imported from Sterling Heights

Instrumented Test

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Totally baked, but a tiny shy of a blue ribbon.

The mission of the new-for-’15 Chrysler 200 is a difficult one: Represent the Fiat/Chrysler empire in the hotly contested mid-size-sedan segment. Though the fundamental recipe for achievement is hardly a secret, Chrysler’s preceding Sebring/200 mid-sizers always felt undercooked. So when the 2015 200 produced its debut at the 2014 Detroit auto show, hope sprung anew that the maker had lastly found the proper mix of components that make automobiles such as the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6 so good.

Freshly Baked

Chrysler anticipates that 70 % of the buyers for its new mid-size sedan will choose a 4-cylinder powerplant, which is why the 2.4-liter Tigershark-equipped 200 is the concentrate of this test. (A 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is also offered.) Our mid-level Limited test automobile arrived at our offices wearing subdued Granite Crystal metallic paint and a set of satin silver 18-inch aluminum wheels shod with 235/45 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 tires.

Inside, the 200 Limited’s cabin gives a modern atmosphere befitting of its newly sleek exterior, avoiding discordant garnishes in favor of sophisticated minimalism. Basic black abounds, accented by thin strips of chrome breaking up surfaces and delineating control groups on the dash, doors, and console. Chrysler’s rotary gear selector shares space in the console with the electric parking brake and massive round climate controls, all appropriately sized for easy, intuitive operation by the meaty paws of corn-fed North Americans. The instrument panel follows suit, placing 2 big and legible dials front and center, the space between them occupied by an data screen and segmented fuel-level and engine-temperature gauges. The layout may well not be cutting edge, but you’ll hardly ever waste time hunting for switchgear or controls. Our test car’s kit didn’t consist of Fiat/Chrysler’s now-ubiquitous 74-inch Uconnect screen, alternatively making do with a 5.-inch version, which nonetheless offers Bluetooth connectivity but lacks navigation.

What the car did have was the $ 895 Comfort group (power front seats, backup camera, physique-colour power sideview mirrors with heat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, SiriusXM satellite radio) the $ 645 Comfort group (dual-zone automatic climate control, heat and A/C ducting for the rear seats, heated front seats, remote start off, and auto-dimming rear-view mirror) and the aforementioned wheels ($ 595), our example wore an as-tested price tag of $ 26,385.

Taste Test

Creating 184 horsepower and 173 lb-ft of torque, the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter Tigershark engine is up to the process of hauling about the 200’s 3488 pounds, but not with out registering a couple of noisy complaints. Peak torque comes on at 4600 rpm, right around the exact same spot where the sounds emanating from beneath the hood begin to get gruff. It’ll pull hard to the electronically limited 6500-rpm fuel cutoff, but the soundtrack leans to the death-metal side of the musical spectrum. Fortunately, the typical purchaser will seldom venture past 6000 rpm, aside from the occasional passing maneuver. With 9 speeds to choose from in the ZF-made automatic, there’s seldom a time when the engine is caught lumbering in the incorrect ratio. The shifts are practically imperceptible, save for foot-down moments when it’ll skip a gear on the way to obtaining the optimal ratio. Sixty mph comes up in 8.4 seconds, the quarter-mile mark arriving in 16.6 with a trap speed of 85 mph. Compare these to the 7.4- and 15.9-second occasions recorded by an Accord EX-L Sport automatic we tested in a recent comparo with the Mazda 6, and then contemplate that the Chrysler is light years away from the Honda in higher-rpm refinement. (As an added comparison, our lengthy-term 2013 Accord Sport equipped with a 6-speed manual turned in 6.6- and 15.2-second figures.)

The 200 is far happier running errands and shuttling people about town than clipping apexes on a curvy back road. Swapping the efficiency-minded Ecopia tires for a set much more concerned with grip than thrift, nonetheless, probably would boost the 200 in both environments. Still, our test driver coerced a surprising .81-g roadholding quantity from them, noting moderate understeer in the procedure. In town, it’s simple to make the tires squeal like the proverbial pig (apologies to Ned Beatty) by combining a dollop of accelerator with slightly turned steering wheel below a lot more restrained operation, the steering is reasonably rapid but, as with most electrically boosted setups optimized for fuel economy, devoid of most road really feel. Braking consumed 179 feet of pavement with no fade in repeated stops, placing it proper in the meat of the class.

We accomplished 27 mpg from the 200 in mixed driving. Very good for the segment, that figure is of particular interest as it betters the 26 mpg we achieved in the smaller (74 inches shorter overall), slower, and 150-pound-lighter 2013 Dodge Dart Restricted with the 1.4-liter Multiair turbo engine and 6-speed dual-clutch automatic. No doubt, the 2.4-liter-powered Chrysler 200 just is not functioning as difficult as the smaller turbo-powered Dart just to hold up with the flow of visitors, hence smaller sized throttle openings and much better true-planet fuel economy.

Although the new-from-the-ground-up 200 is a completely baked item, we can not assist but feel that drivers with sporting intentions will discover it a little on the light side of hearty. The 200 doesn’t have the poor-man’s Bentley street presence of its larger 300 sidekick, either. In a segment flush with blue-ribbon entries that handle to mix 4-door practicality with genuine enjoyable-to-drive character, the 200 is nevertheless a few components brief of becoming prime-shelf material.

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2015 Chrysler 200 Limited Tested: Imported from Sterling Heights

It’s Me, Switches: Chrysler Recalling Up to 792,300 Jeeps for Faulty Ignition Switches

July 24, 2014 at 5:45 pm by Clifford Atiyeh | Photography by Getty Images/Bill Pugliano

Chrysler said it would recall up to 792,300 Jeeps to replace the very same faulty ignition switches that had been the topic of an earlier recall this month that covered 696,000 minivans and crossovers.

The National Highway Targeted traffic Security Administration, after receiving documents from Chrysler on its airbag controllers, opened 2 investigations in June on the 2005–2006 Grand Cherokee and the 2006–2007 Commander. Chrysler has because expanded the vehicle population to contain the 2007 Grand Cherokee, for a possible total of 649,900 automobiles in the U.S., up from the agency’s initial 525,000. Chrysler said it was nevertheless tabulating the final number and would notify owners in mid-September, saying that for now they should “remove all products from their crucial rings, leaving only their ignition keys.”

The agency stated it had received 32 complaints from Grand Cherokee and Commander owners since 2004 alleging that the ignition had been simply bumped to the off position by the driver’s knee hitting the key. Chrysler stated it knew of at least a single crash and roughly 119 complaints from owners connected to the switch problem. As with the General Motors ignition-switch recall, the airbag controllers can stay powered for only 150 milliseconds soon after the car shuts down, which means that if the engine dies, they will not deploy.

As it did with the minivans, Chrysler probably will set up hardier detent rings inside the ignition switches to avoid the important from moving too readily, despite the fact that it hasn’t specified the exact repair in this case. Another 920,000 2002–2003 Jeep Liberty and 2002–2004 Grand Cherokee models are under NHTSA investigation for airbags that can accidentally deploy.

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Chrysler is also recalling 21,000 cars and trucks for shocks and struts that can “break cost-free from their mounts” and cause a loss of manage. The 2014 Ram 1500, 2015 Jeep Cherokee, and 2015 Chrysler 200 are impacted, such as about 14,300 in the U.S. Chrysler hasn’t set dates for client notification or repairs.

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It’s Me, Switches: Chrysler Recalling Up to 792,300 Jeeps for Faulty Ignition Switches

The Roof Is On Fire: Chrysler Recalls 895,000 SUVs for Vanity Mirror Fires

July 16, 2014 at 6:18 pm by Clifford Atiyeh | Photography by Michael Simari

Quit looking at your glorious moustache in the mirror, Ron Burgundy—your Dodge Durango’s sun visor may be melting.

Chrysler is recalling the 2011–2014 Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee for electrical shorts within the sun visor’s vanity-mirror lamp circuit. During repairs to the vehicle’s headliner, screws attaching the sun visor can pierce the lamp wiring and trigger a quick if the wires aren’t routed far enough from the screw holes. According to Chrysler and an ongoing investigation by the National Highway Traffic Security Administration that’s been open given that August, there have been 62 reports of shorting wires and at least 38 fires. Owners have reported open flames at the headliner and even fires spreading to the front seats and door panels, which, in one report, broken the sunroof and shattered the glass. At least 3 injuries have been reported.

Chrysler mentioned it first received reports of “sun-visor thermal damage” starting in March 2011 and blamed the difficulty on dealer technicians improperly installing the sun visor soon after a repair. In 3 separate situations among June 2011 and October 2012, Chrysler twice shortened and rerouted new vehicles’ production wiring—which isn’t protected by a fuse—and updated its repair documents. A single of the fires occurred after the latest repair details was sent out, Chrysler stated.

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Dealers will install spacers that’ll route the wires in a new path for all of the 651,130 SUVs in the U.S., whether or not they have received prior repairs involving the headliner. In April, far more than 850,000 2011–2014 Durango and Grand Cherokee models were recalled for faulty brake boosters, and an extra recall for 25,000 of the 2012–2013 models was issued in March for anti-lock brakes. Earlier this month, Chrysler recalled almost 696,000 minivans and crossovers for faulty ignition switches.

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The Roof Is On Fire: Chrysler Recalls 895,000 SUVs for Vanity Mirror Fires

to 1320 Feet in What? Chrysler Posts 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat 1/4-Mile Time

Because Dodge officially announced that its supercharged 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat would pack 707 earth-shaking horsepower, just about the only factors left to mystery are the car’s functionality numbers. Whilst we constantly collect our own numbers—and we’re really seeking forward to strapping our own test gear to the car—Dodge released a video today that shows the big brute at the strip posting an NHRA-certified quarter-mile time.

The benefits: A blistering 8.85 at 126.18 mph on street-legal drag radials. (It posted an 11.2 at 125 on the stock rubber.) For comparison’s sake, we’ve squeezed 12.3 at 119 from the Camaro ZL1 and 11.8 at 125 from the Shelby GT500. Running a 10-second quarter is a major feat for any vehicle, regardless of power, significantly less a showroom-spec vehicle. If the 707-hp figure wasn’t warning enough, the 1/4-mile  run is an extra shot flung across the bows of Ford and GM. We can’t wait to see them return fire.

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LeMons Sebring Inspections: ’64 Fairlane vs ’64 Dart, Some Rapidly Automobiles, and a Pair of Chrysler Sebrings

The 24 Hours of LeMons series is following up our check out to an old familiar track in California with our first-ever trip to the legendary Sebring International Raceway. It is hot and muggy and buggy right here, and the Florida summer season weather coupled with the vacation weekend have chased away all but the most devoted racers with a mere 30 teams, we’ve got the smallest automobile count because the notorious New Orleans 2011 race. These that have opted to brave the mid-90s temperatures and 100% humidity, nevertheless, tend to be the hardest of the difficult core, the racers who believe nothing at all of overnight engine swaps and paddock cuisine. This is our initial trip to Florida given that the legendary New Year’s Eve 2010 race in Palm Beach, and we’re expecting a great weekend. Let’s see who’s here!

The RC Spiders, who have become the LeMons team to beat in the southeastern portion of the nation, have brought their Mercedes-Benz 190 2.3-16. The Spiders got the most laps at the Southern Discomfort race in May, the ‘Shine Nation Classic in February, and a pair of LeMons races in 2013. Confident, they slipped their automobile via a loophole by promoting off Cosworth-only interior parts to get their Benz below the $ 500 limit, but the genuine purpose they hold winning has more to do with their mistake-free team organization than their lap occasions. The LeMons Supreme Court assigned a 5-lap handicap to the Spiders this time, due to their shark-in-the-aquarium advantage in this small field, so we’ll see how long it requires them to overcome that gap.

The Cannonball Bandits have dragged their Vortect 5300-swapped Toyota Supra all the way from the San Francisco Bay Location, and the team’s drivers hope that their Toyota’s impressive energy-to-weight ratio will finally allow them to roar to a extended-sought-soon after victory.

The Rolling Chicane Honda Civic group has been competing in the 24 Hours of LeMons for far more than 5 years now, and they’ve come tantalizingly close to an general win but have however to get these added handful of laps they want. Could this be their weekend?

It is not a LeMons race with no at least one particular staggeringly depreciated German luxury car, and we’ve got that.

We’ve also got one more engine compartment that looks just as cool as the 928′s, only for distinct reasons: the Chrysler Slant-Six of the Index of Effluency-winning Escape Velocity Racing 1964 Dodge Dart.

The Escape Velocity Dart has grow to be a fairly properly-sorted race vehicle throughout its last year of racing, but has but to take a Class C trophy.

This time, the Dart’s old nemesis, the Team Fairlylame 1964 Ford Fairlane, is back to challenge its exact same-year rival. The Dart emerged victorious from its final 2 battles with the 289-powered Ford, but possibly this time we’ll see the V8 beat the I6.

This may possibly be the very first LeMons race in numerous years that has just a single 302-powered Fox Ford in the lineup (although we do have a Pinto-engined Fox Mustang as effectively).

The Swamp Thang Ford Granada, winner of the Index of Effluency at the 2011 Lousiana race, is back, this time with Lincoln Versailles hood and trunk. Such class!

These LeMons 1st-timers brought a Volvo 850 Turbo, an adventurous automobile decision.

They’ll be competing in Class B against this confusingly themed Toyota Solara.

This getting Sebring, we’re pleased to announce that our race will function a Sebring-versus-Sebring race-within-a-race. Yes, 2 Chrysler Sebring race automobiles will take to the track on Saturday.

A single Sebring will be run by the legendary Speedycop and the Gang of Outlaws group, while the other flies the flag of equally legendary NSF Racing. Really, both cars failed the tech inspection, but we’re assuming that they’ll be fixed in time for racing on Saturday morning.

In honor of the extremely LeMony Chrysler Sebring, the LeMons Supreme Court has developed this “Sebribed” commemorative BRIBED stencil for the occasion, applying it with patriotic red-white-and-blue paint in honor of the vacation these days.

Tonight, numerous teams will be welding and grinding in the hotel parking lot, in preparation for the green flag on Saturday.

A certain quantity of house-value-lowering is inevitable when the 24 Hours of LeMons comes to your town, of course, but Florida ought to recover from the damage quickly enough. Verify in Saturday night to see how the initial day of racing sorts out.

LeMons Sebring Inspections: ’64 Fairlane vs ’64 Dart, Some Rapidly Automobiles, and a Pair of Chrysler Sebrings