2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee on 2040-cars

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332,000 Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo models recalled over faulty seat belt buckle sensors

Stellantis has recalled 332,000 Alfa Romeo, Jeep, and Fiat vehicles in the United States due to faulty seat belt sensors. Included in the recall are certain 2017-2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia and 2018-2025 Stelvio models along with 2019-2023 Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, and 2024 Fiat 500E models. According to documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "A disrupted connector on the buckle switch hall effect may affect the conduction on the connectors of the seat wiring and buckle which may cause the front seat air bag to not perform as expected during a crash." In more simple terms, the sensor that tells the vehicle's onboard computer if an occupant's seat belt is buckled may fail. If this happens, an airbag may not inflate in the event of a crash as intended. As of June 26, 2024, Stellantis says it has identified 578 field reports in North America potentially related to this issue. "The remedy will be to replace the connector by directly wiring the sensor to the harness with a solder tube," according to documentation provided by Stellantis. All repairs will be made free of charge.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk undisguised with Hellcat power

Superchargers make everything better. Mount one to the top of a 6.2L Hemi V8 and pack it under the hood of a Jeep Grand Cherokee and you have a recipe for a completely bonkers, wholly unnecessary, and totally sweet SUV. We've known for a while that the so-called Trackhawk, essentially a Hellcat Jeep, is on its way. We now have photos of a completely undisguised test vehicle on public Michigan roads trying to make its way to SRT headquarters. Jeep already makes an SRT version of the Grand Cherokee. That version only puts out a measly 475 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque from a 6.4L Hemi. After developing a couple of 707-hp Dodges, SRT felt that Jeep needed some of that Hellcat love too. In the photos, we can see that, aside from the front fascia, the Trackhawk will look fairly similar to the standard SRT Grand Cherokee. The front retains the requisite Jeep grille, though it's been narrowed a bit to make room for larger air intakes below. The Hellcat engine creates a lot of heat, so designers needed to make sure the beast has plenty of room to breathe. New LED fog lights have been integrated into lower air ducts. We still don't know many of the Trackhawk's finer details, like the exact price or release date. We do know that Jeep claims a 3.5-second 0-60 time, making it both the quickest-accelerating Hellcat-powered vehicle and one of the quickest-accelerating vehicles in the world. For comparison, BMW claims the X5 M will do 0-60 in 4 seconds flat. Related Video: Featured Gallery Grand Cherokee Trackhawk View 9 Photos Spy Photos Jeep SUV

100,000 Jeep Cherokee models subject to further 9-speed recalibration

It seems that the software problems with the nine-speed automatic gearbox in the Jeep Cherokee continue to mount. The programming already caused multiple development delays and even postponed the Cherokee's market launch by roughly two months. Now, Jeep has issued another recalibration to hopefully assuage unhappy drivers.
According to Automotive News, this reflash for the allegedly jerky transmission covers over 100,000 Cherokees built before May 5, but it's not technically a recall. If owners are having problems and complain to the dealer, they get the new software. Otherwise, they continue with the current version. New vehicles on dealer lots also receive the latest revision to the programming. It takes only around five minutes to install, but technicians need to take the Cherokee on a test drive to adapt the gearbox to the changes.
The Cherokee's transmission software has been problematic practically since the beginning. The Jeep plant in Toledo, OH, briefly idled its second-shift workers last year to take care of the issue. Since the launch issues for the crossover, demand has been strong. Jeep added another 1,000 temporary workers to the Toledo factory to keep up, and sales were on par with the Wrangler in just its first two months.