2012 Dodge Ram 1500 Express, 4x4, 4 Door, Blue, 5.7 Hemi, Auto, 6.4' Bed 41k Mi. on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler to get $105M fine from NHTSA for recall woes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is about to send a powerful message to automakers doing business in the United States, assuming reports of an upcoming $105 million fine against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles comes to fruition. In addition to the record-setting monetary fine, according to The Wall Street Journal, FCA will have to accept an independent auditor that will monitor the company's recall and safety processes and will be forced to buy back certain recalled vehicles. In other cases, such as with Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty models with gas tanks that could potentially catch fire in certain types of accidents, FCA will offer financial encouragement for owners to get their recall work done or to trade those older vehicles in on new cars, according to the report. FCA could reportedly reduce its fines if it meets certain conditions, though those remain unclear at this time. These actions against FCA are being taken after NHTSA began a probe into the automaker over almost two dozen separate instances where the government claims FCA failed to follow proper procedures for recalls and safety defects. Included in those safety lapses are more than 11 million vehicles currently in customer hands. These penalties and fines are separate from the investigation over security problems with Chrysler's Uconnect system that allowed hackers to obtain remote access into key vehicle systems in 1.4 million vehicles. Related Video: Image Credit: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Recalls Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Safety fiat chrysler automobiles fine

Chrysler Uconnect gets dealer-activated navigation, new infotainment features

Get in just about any mid-level Chrysler product these days, and you'll see a touchscreen head unit that would be perfect for a navigation system. The only thing is that some of these cars equipped with the head unit for Chrysler's Uconnect infotainment system were not optioned up with navigation at the time of purchase, leaving drivers looking for turn-by-turn directions relying on either an aftermarket nav system or a smartphone. Starting on select new Chrysler products, however, customers with Uconnect will now be able to upgrade to navigation as a dealer-activated option.
Announced at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, this new element of Uconnect will allow owners to have an in-dash navigation system installed quickly and easily; Chrysler said that this will be a major benefit for used-car buyers. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like this system will be retroactive on previous Uconnect head units, but it will launch this year on the 2013 Ram 1500, 2013 SRT Viper and the 2014 Fiat 500L. Chrysler did not announce the expected MSRP to have dealers activate the navigation capabilities.
Another infotainment option for Chrysler buyers is the Uconnect Access system that can allow WiFi, voice text messaging, emergency assistance, remote vehicle operation (such as starting the engine or locking/unlocking the doors) and limited POI searches using Bing. Also introduced at CES, the new Uconnect Access via Mobile system builds on this by allowing users to add in-car apps such as iHeart Radio, Pandora and Slacker by connecting to the system via a smartphone. This system will first be offered on the 2013 Ram and Viper.

2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Limited Drivers' Notes | Black gold

Ram didn’t have fuel economy numbers for us when we first drove the 1500 EcoDiesel, and because of that, a verdict could not be rendered. Today, thatÂ’s no longer the case. In maximum hypermiling 4x2 form, the EcoDiesel is rated at 22 mpg city, 32 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined. That puts it merely 1 mpg away from the Chevy Silverado Duramax, which achieves 33 mpg on the highway. In our testerÂ’s crew cab 4x4 configuration, it was rated at 24 mpg combined. The impressive efficiency can be attributed to the fully reworked 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 under the hood. It makes 260 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, with the full brunt of that torque being realized at a low 1,600 rpm. ItÂ’s a good thing, too, because the EcoDiesel redlines at 5,800 rpm. Towing maxes out at 12,560 pounds, and it has a payload rating of 2,040 pounds. ThereÂ’s a whole lot of truck to pull around, too. The crew cab backseat leaves enough space for even the tallest of riders to sprawl out, and the front seat is just as expansive and intimidating. As tested, our Ram 1500 was easily one of the most luxurious, expensive configurations one could possibly spec. It was done up in the highest Limited trim, which means every last premium material and feature is along for the ride. The base price was $58,660, but that doesnÂ’t mean Ram didnÂ’t find plenty of room for options. The most expensive of options happened to be the EcoDiesel engine itself, which comes in at $4,995. Yowza. Our truck also had the $3,995 Black Appearance Package, which adds an array of extras like 22-inch black wheels, a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and black accents throughout the exterior. However, the 22-inch wheels were superseded by our truck's $795 Off-Road Group package that added 20-inch wheels with meatier tires, an electronic locking rear axle, multiple underbody skid plates and hill descent control. A $2,295 driver assistance package added adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, a parking assistant, 360-degree camera and ventilated rear seats among other less notable features. Lesser charges like the $1,495 panoramic sunroof, $995 Multi-Function tailgate and $995 RamBox system all contributed to this truck's $75,610 final price. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: The interior in this Limited is busy.