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2.1 million vehicles recalled again over faulty airbags

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda and Toyota will recall 2.1 million vehicles to fix faulty airbag modules "after the manufacturers' original attempts to fix the defects proved ineffective in some vehicles." These vehicles had all previously been recalled, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the airbags could still potentially malfunction. This recall will cover Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Avalon models made in the early 2000s. NHTSA has reportedly received about 40 reports of airbag deployment in such vehicles, even though the vehicle had not been involved in a crash. Roughly one million of these same vehicles, all from Honda and Toyota, are also subject to recalls due to faulty Takata airbag modules, though this particular recall is for "an electronic component manufactured by TRW" that is separate from the actual airbags from Takata. According to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind: "This is unfortunately a complicated issue for consumers, who may have to return to their dealer more than once. But this is an urgent safety issue, and all consumers with vehicles covered by the previous recalls should have that remedy installed. Even though it's a temporary solution until the new remedy is available, they and their families will be safer if they take the time to learn if their vehicle is covered and follow their manufacturers' instructions. A hassle is much better than a family tragedy." If you're the owner of an affected car, expect to hear more from the official automaker and government channels in short order. In the meantime, we'd suggest getting your car checked and fixed at your local dealer. The official statement and recall information can be found below. Previously Recalled Vehicle Remedies Not Working as Designed; NHTSA Announces Follow up Recall of 2.12 Million Cars and SUVs Saturday, January 31, 2015 Contact: Gordon Trowbridge, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced today the recall of more than 2.12 million Acura, Dodge, Jeep, Honda, Pontiac, and Toyota vehicles for a defect that may cause airbags to deploy inadvertently. The recalls will provide vehicle owners with a new remedy after the manufacturers' original attempts to fix the defects proved ineffective in some vehicles.

Jeep Patriot replacement adopts tiny Grand Cherokee styling

After almost a year out of the spotlight, we've finally snagged our second set of images of Jeep's new CUV. Set to replace both the Patriot and Compass, these latest images reinforce what we originally thought about Jeep's newest model – it's a baby Grand Cherokee. These 15 images provide the best look yet at the new sheetmetal, details, and interior. Starting with the skin, it's like Jeep's designers scaled down the Grand Cherokee's profile to fit on the new crossover's stretched Renegade platform. The headlights, grille, and taillights looked like shrunken items from Jeep's flagship crossover, too. This is good news – even after its 2011 facelift the Compass was a homely little thing, and the Patriot was boxy at a time when CUVs were going for smoother, more aerodynamic lines. Jeep's new CUV is avoiding those mistakes by aping one of the company's most popular designs. Only the driver's seat, steering wheel, and center stack appear in the interior images, so we can't tell how the stretched chassis impacts rear-seat legroom compared to the Renegade/Fiat 500X. But in front, it looks like a Jeep – FCA's corporate steering wheel and HVAC controls are present and accounted for, but the usual touchscreen display looks bigger the expected 8.4-inch unit. That could just be the camera angle playing tricks on our eyes. We can't make any judgments about the material choices, but we'd expect quality to be on par with the larger Cherokee. Under hood, our spies report that FCA's nine-speed automatic will be the only transmission choice. FCA will call on its new 2.0-liter, Hurricane four-cylinder engine, the spies claim, but we also expect the less powerful 2.4-liter, four-cylinder from the Renegade and Cherokee. Apparently, production will begin by the end of the year. Short of a shotgun launch immediately after a Detroit debut, that virtually guarantees a debut in Los Angeles (or possibly Paris). Related Video: Featured Gallery Jeep C-Segment CUV: Spy Shots View 15 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Jeep Crossover Off-Road Vehicles jeep compass jeep patriot

Jeep shows off Moab Easter Safari concepts crawling the red rocks

While most brands are busy showing off in New York, Jeep headed out to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari with the company's fleet of 2013 concepts. This year saw the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk II, Wrangler Mopar Recon, Wrangler Stitch, Wrangler Sand Trooper II, Wrangler Flattop and Wrangler Slim Concepts tackle the rocks and sand, and Jeep was kind enough to bring along a camera crew to film the machines rolling over a few obstacles. The result is the video below, though don't expect to see too much hardcore off road action.
Instead, the quick clip features more than a few interviews with Jeep executives, including Jeep Head of Product Design Mark Allen, explaining what makes the Easter Jeep Safari so important. You can check out the quick clip below for yourself, and be sure to thumb through our galleries of the concepts as well.