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Chrysler recalling 280k Dodge Ram 1500 pickups over axle seizures

Following a June investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will be recalling 280,000 Dodge Ram pickups from model year 2005. The issue, NHTSA told The Detroit News, centered on a loose pinion nut, which could cause the rear axle to seize and, potentially, the driveshaft to detach. The affected vehicles were built between January of 2004 and August of 2005, while of the 280,000 trucks, only 257,000 were sold in the US market. According to The News, the recall will begin on February 13, and will see owners report to dealerships to have "a retention feature" added to the pinion nut.

2015 Ram 1500 Rebel priced from $43,985

Ram has announced the prices for the two newest members of its 1500 family, with the new Rebel starting at $43,985 and the Laramie Limited kicking off at $51,870. Those prices include the $1,195 destination charge. The Rebel's starting price is only for the two-wheel-drive variant. Adding four-wheel drive elevates the price to $45,915 and includes the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. If you fancy four-wheel drive and FCA's 5.7-liter Hemi V8, you'll need to write a check for $47,565. The luxurious Laramie Limited comes in a few more varieties, and can be had with either two- or four-wheel drive, and gas or diesel power. The base model uses the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and rear-wheel drive, for a total price of $51,870. Plan on an extra $3,120 to replace the Hemi with the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6. Adding four-wheel-drive adds $3,505 regardless of engine. Scroll down for the official pricing release from Ram, and then hop over to our original coverage of the Laramie Limited and Rebel for even more details on the new trucks. Related Video: Ram Truck Announces Pricing for 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel and Ram 1500 Laramie Limited • Ram 1500 Rebel makes a statement with increased ride height, standard 33-inch tires, skid plates, tow hooks and unique interior starting at $42,790 • Chrome accents, prominent badges, Argento wood and premium leather are key ingredients of new Ram 1500 Laramie Limited with a starting price of $50,675 The Ram 1500 continues to move forward with two mid-year 2015 offerings that carry into the 2016 model year – the Ram 1500 Rebel and Ram 1500 Laramie Limited. The Ram 1500 Rebel brings a one-of-a-kind off-road design to the full-size truck segment. The Rebel drops right into a core segment of the truck market with unique design cues and mechanical innovation backed by Ram Truck engineering. Rebel features an all-new grille with a prominent billet silver "RAM" letter badge. Departing from the brand's iconic "crosshair" designs, the blacked-out Rebel grille tops a completely new black off-road front bumper design with a durable powder-coated surface. It also incorporates a powder coated, billet silver skid plate, front tow hooks, 33-inch Toyo tires and an all-new 17-inch aluminum wheel. Inside, Rebel is every bit as brawny and rugged as it is outside. The truck features industry-exclusive seating elements finished in Radar Red and black with fabric inserts embossed with the Toyo tire tread pattern, matching the Rebel's actual footprint.

2020 Fiat Ducato Electric is the Ram ProMaster's EV cousin

As we all know, the Ram ProMaster has Italian roots. Despite featuring a 3.6-liter, 24-valve Chrysler Pentastar V6 with 280 horsepower, the ProMaster was born a humble Fiat Ducato over a decade ago, the Ducato's roots stretching far into the past. There was even been a rebadged Alfa Romeo version of the Ducato in the early '80s, so badge engineering isn't a strange concept when it comes to this line of vans. Nevertheless, the mother company has come up with a Ducato that's not propelled by the Pentastar or a European diesel engine: the 2020 Ducato facelift will come with a fully electric powertrain in Europe. The Ducato Electric is the first EV from Fiat Professional, the work vehicle division. Earlier, there have been natural-gas-powered versions, which continue to form a part of the model palette, but a BEV Ducato is unprecedented. Still, or perhaps for that reason, Fiat is taking small steps when electrifying its van lineup: The Ducato Electric will at first be made available to "major clients" via pilot projects, which means trusted Fiat customer fleets will function as beta testers for the van, most likely only in Europe. No technical details are available yet, either, making the Ducato something of a Mystery Machine. These fleets, some of which have already helped to develop the EV van, can pre-order the Ducato Electric this year with the vehicles delivered in 2020. Even if the van's availability has a touch of '90s EV uncertainty, Fiat says there's "no compromise" in the van's load-carrying capacity and performance. We also expect more information to trickle out in the near future, and given how handy a silent yet torquey van is in some use cases, perhaps the Ram version will also get officially electrified at some point. Aftermarket solutions, like the Maxwell RHEV, already exist. Disclaimer: Autoblog accepts vehicle loans from auto manufacturers with a tank of gas and sometimes insurance for the purpose of evaluation and editorial content. Like most of the auto news industry, we also sometimes accept travel, lodging and event access for vehicle drive and news coverage opportunities. Our opinions and criticism remain our own — we do not accept sponsored editorial.