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Hot sales have Detroit automakers shortening summer shutdowns

Back in May, there was speculation that the Detroit Three automakers would maintain or perhaps even extend their traditional summer shutdowns, mostly due to a bitingly cold winter that saw below-freezing temperatures infiltrate the southernmost reaches of the US, putting a chill on auto sales. Now, though, the numbers are in, and thanks to some promising sales figures, it looks like some domestic line workers are going to be working clear through July, in some cases.
According to Automotive News, Ford has slashed its traditional two-week hiatus for factory workers in half at four of its plants, while both Chrysler and General Motors will keep factories running nonstop (two plants in Chrysler's case and a third of GM's factories).
This is, as we said, thanks to some positive numbers. Chief among those is the Seasonal Adjusted Annual Rate, which was at an eight-year high of 17 million units. Individual figures were less promising. GM, embroiled in its recall scandal, still saw a one-percent increase while Ford dropped six percent in year-over-year sales. Chrysler was the big winner, though, with a nine-percent jump in June.

Chrysler extends fuel tank warranties on LX cars, NHTSA ends probe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ended its investigation of 153,817, 5.7-liter and 6.1-liter Hemi V8-powered 2006 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum models after reports of stalling. Chrysler has responded by granting a lifetime warranty on the fuel tanks for these vehicles.
NHTSA received 299 reports of engines stalling while the models were stopped or driving at low speeds, and began an investigation. The government agency found that the control valve shutoff float in the V8s' 19-gallon fuel tank could malfunction if the fuel had too high of an ethanol content. In many cases, the valve would break in the open position, allowing the tank to be overfilled, which would then cause the cars to stall. However, there were no accidents reported, and the vehicles could be restarted immediately.
There will not be a recall on these vehicles because, "the condition represents a low risk to motor vehicle safety and is adequately addressed by Chrysler's extended warranty," NHTSA said to The Detroit News.

Germany says Fiat Chrysler also cheats on diesel emissions

In May, Germany threatened to ban Fiat Chrysler vehicles because they supposedly had diesel emissions cheat devices. The guilty vehicle at the time was a Fiat 500X. Since then, Italian regulators looked into the issue and said they found no such device. But Germany didn't back down, and filed papers today with the European Commission (EC) and the Italian Transport Ministry saying, again, that there were questionable emissions results in four FCA vehicles. According to Reuters, the Germany's new tests proved there was an, "illegal use of a device to switch off exhaust treatment systems" in the four FCA vehicles. According to Der Spiegel, the four vehicles in the latest batch of offenders are the two new 500Xs, a Fiat Doblo, and a Jeep Renegade. Alexander Dobrindt, Germany's Federal Minister of Transport, noted the vehicles in the letter to the EC, which also said that the EC should communicate with Italian regulators as the next step. Related Video: News Source: Reuters, Der SpiegelImage Credit: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Green Chrysler Fiat Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal FCA diesel scandal