2007 Chrysler Crossfire Base Convertible 2-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chrysler investigating complaints of vehicles with faulty power modules

Chrysler owners are hopping mad after experiencing a series of electrical gremlins in some of the company's vehicles. Issues range from mere annoyances - windows rolling down and radios turning off of their own accord - to serious safety issues, with headlights that randomly shut off at night and cars that stall and refuse to start.
The issues are being blamed on the total integrated power module, which can cost up to $1,000 for customers to replace. This, of course, has led to a hefty batch of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with 240 owners expressing their displeasure so far. Another site, CarComplaints.com, has registered over 300 complaints relating to the 2010 to 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango, alone, according to The New York Times.
Chrysler has acknowledged that it's investigating the complaints and is analyzing the faulty TIPMs, but that isn't quite enough for customers of the affected vehicles. The newspaper has snagged a few of the more harrowing tales with the electrically challenged Chrysler products, culled from the NHTSA complaints.

Junkyard Gem: 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT

Many claim to hate the Chrysler PT Cruiser now, though better than a million were sold in the United States during the retro-styled little truck's production run (the NHTSA classified the PT Cruiser as a truck, so that's what we'll call it). I didn't start finding many PT Cruisers in junkyards until about 10 years ago, at which point the Chrysler section in just about every big self-service yard became choked with row upon row of them. While most of these cars trucks were ordinary— if cute-looking— transportation appliances, Chrysler built some with turbocharged 2.4-liter engines and five-speed manual transmissions. Here is one of those rare machines, found in a Northern California self-service yard last month. The PT Cruiser was based on the Neon, meaning that it was no sweat to take any high-performance Neon bits and swap them onto its sibling. The PT Cruiser GT didn't quite get the same running gear as the SRT-4 Neon, but it was a genuine factory hot rod. The heart of the PT Cruiser GT was this turbocharged 2.4-liter engine, rated at 215 horsepower in the 2003-2005 version. The naturally-aspirated 2.4 that went into ordinary PT Cruisers made 150 horses in 2004. While a Getrag five-speed manual transmission was standard equipment (at least at the lower-end trim levels) for all but the final year of the Cruiser's 2001–2010 American sales run, nearly every buyer paid what it took to get the optional four-speed automatic. That didn't happen with this car truck, which has the five-speed. The GT also got better brakes, bigger wheels, a stiffer suspension, a lower ride height, and a louder exhaust. What's not to like? Will we miss the special-edition PT Cruisers when they're all gone? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Referred to as a "small-car alternative" in this TV commercial.

Fiat Chrysler working on an inline-six to replace the Pentastar V6?

Get out your Skeptics Hat for this one and keep it close by. Allpar cites "reliable sources" to write that Fiat Chrysler appears to be working on a new inline-six engine to be slotted into company products around the globe. The purported engine would be based on the 2.0-liter Global Medium Engine inline-four. Allpar first reported on the potential development in February 2017 and has filed a few updates since then, one citing "internal communications referring to a GME T6" — the "T" meaning turbocharged. It's said that some engineers have changed their online resumes to reflect their focus on the new motor. Apparently, FCA tried adding forced induction to the Pentastar V6 but didn't like the results. The new direction then turned toward a "compact straight-six." In at least one guise, the GME I-6 would come in at just under three liters in order to escape taxes on engines 3.0-liters and above in certain European markets; the 2.0-liter four-cylinder has an actual displacement of 1.995 liters. The present V6 Pentastar comes in 3.2-liter and 3.6-liter guises; a turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six should be able to replace both as far as output. Hooking up to the company's eTorque system used on the 3.6-liter Pentastar and 5.7-liter Hemi would make things even more punchy. With the trend in truck engine downsizing, it wouldn't be crazy to see such an engine head straight to Ram. The four-cylinder GME unit serves in the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio, and Jeep Cherokee, Wrangler, and Grand Commander. The big Alfa Romeos and full-size Jeep and Ram models shouldn't have any problem with a longer inline engine. Maserati, which doesn't use the Pentastar engine, could be a candidate as well should it choose to step away from its Ferrari-developed engine cred. Speaking of Ferrari, the Italian brand is working up a new V6 based, in its words, on "a very, very particular architecture." It isn't clear where it will go or if one of the other Italian brands will get access to it, but the Allpar piece says the Ferrari V6 will be based on the core GME architecture for Maserati. Chrysler gave up its last inline-six 11 years ago when the 4.0-liter I-6 retired alongside the JK-series Jeep Wrangler. The engine format is back in vogue, and its reincarnations have received good reviews. But inline-sixes are generally longer, hence FCA's focus on a compact unit, and that could limit the purported engine's placement options.