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Fiat Chrysler recalls 4.8 million U.S. vehicles for cruise control defect

WASHINGTON - Fiat Chrysler said on Friday it is recalling 4.8 million U.S. vehicles over a defect that could prevent drivers from deactivating cruise control and warned owners not to use the function until they get software upgrades. The Italian-American automaker said no injuries or crashes are related to the large recall campaign but said it had one report of a driver of a 2017 Dodge Journey rental car unable to deactivate the cruise control. Fiat Chrysler, which in 2015 was hit with penalties from U.S. regulators totaling $175 million for safety lapses, did not say how much the recalls would cost. The recall addresses what Fiat Chrysler called an "extremely rare" series of events that could lead to drivers being unable to cancel cruise control. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday it "strongly encourages vehicle owners to follow a warning" to stop using cruise control on the recalled vehicles until repaired. NHTSA said drivers could overpower the system by forcefully applying the brakes until the vehicle stopped. Fiat Chrysler also said the vehicle could be stopped by shifting into neutral and braking. Fiat Chrysler shares fell more than 2 percent in premarket trading in New York on the recall. Fiat Chrysler noted that at times cruise control systems automatically initiate acceleration to help vehicles maintain driver-selected speeds, including when going up an incline. If an acceleration occurs simultaneously with a short-circuit in a specific electrical network, a driver could be unable to deactivate the function. Fiat Chrysler said vehicles may be placed in park once stopped, at which point cruise-control is canceled. The recall involves a group of gasoline-powered vehicles with automatic transmissions from various model years built from 2014 through the 2019 model year. Most of the vehicles being recalled cover the 2014-2018 model years. Among the vehicles being recalled are the Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Journey, Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks and Ram 3500/4500/5500 cab chassis trucks. Fiat Chrysler made the announcement going into the busy Memorial Day weekend, which traditionally kicks off the summer driving season.

Dear Ram: 'GT' doesn't belong on a pickup

When word of the forthcoming Ram G/T models hit our inboxes on Tuesday, my first reaction was one of confusion. The notion of a "Grand Touring" package for anything with a pickup bed struck me as entirely foreign and left me feeling conflicted. Have pickup trucks really come so far that a GT-inspired model makes sense, or am I just married to an antiquated notion that has been co-opted and subsequently bled to death by the endlessly churning automotive marketing machine? One could reasonably argue that "GT" has come a long way from the days when it was closely associated with its namesake term (whether you say "Gran Turismo" or "Grand Touring" really makes no difference) and plenty of not-so-sporting automobiles have already borrowed the nomenclature to denote trims with faster-looking body kits or larger wheels. If that's the model we're choosing to acknowledge, Ram's is arguably ahead of the game. Its G/T package adds a cat-back exhaust and cold air intake (more of a performance nod than some other "GT" models enjoy), paddle shifters, a console-mounted gear lever, unique bucket seats with high bolsters and metal covers for the gas and brake pedals. If this were a package for a Dodge Charger or Challenger, it would certainly check the right boxes. Heck, the whole thing was essentially parts-binned from the TRX with an assist from Mopar's factory accessory catalog.  A Ford Mustang GT and a Mercedes-AMG GT. Note how similar they are to a half-ton truck. In my quest to decide just how out-of-touch I am, I first asked Ram whether G/T actually stands for anything. It doesn't. It was chosen simply to "signify a sporty model within the lineup." There's no apparent significance to the slash aside from being an obvious nod to Dodge's R/T (Road/Track) models, of which even the Viper was one. Even with SRT having supplanted R/T atop the Mopar performance heap, the latter still denotes models with a significant performance increase.  But that means G/T is precisely what we think it is — a trim meant to impart notions of performance, even if there's little of it to be found. It doesn't quite sit with me. The domestics have already pretty much forced us to accept the notion of both high-performance and luxury-oriented pickups, so something splitting the difference doesn't really seem that outrageous.

Ram granted patent for in-bed ramp system

Most of the patent filings we report on these days are of a pretty high-tech nature: everything from "humanized" navigation systems to 11-speed transmissions. But cool innovations can be lower-tech and clever, too. At least that's our feeling after seeing some proposed plans from Ram. FCA has filed a patent for a system of built-in ramps recessed inside of a truck bed. While stowable ramps aren't new – Ford offers a similar system for the F-150 ­– the level of integration shown in these diagrams seems to be. Drawings show ramps that run on channels in the bed and tailgate, hinged at the end of the extended gate for a gentle upslope into the cargo area. What's more, the system seems changeable, with two ramps set wide or narrow, or just one centrally mounted. Just the thing for switching from motorcycle-loading season to snowmobile-loading season. A granted patent doesn't always lead to a product brought to market, of course. Issues with cost, durability, and demand all have a lot to say about what makes it from design to showroom. Still, we think the proposed RamRamp (feel free to use that, FCA) shows a ton of promise. Speak up truck owners, is a factory-installed ramp system like the one you see here something you'd pay for on your next vehicle? Get into Comments, below, and let us know. Related Video: Featured Gallery Ram in-bed ramps patent drawings News Source: USPTO via Allpar RAM Truck patent