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FCA recalls 2 million Ram trucks over airbag issues

Airbag issues have prompted Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to issue another pair of recalls. The two separate issues both affect Ram pickups, one campaign stemming from oversensitive sensors, the other from a wiring harness. Between them, the problems affect an estimated combined total of some 2 million units. The first recall affects 2013-15 Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks, specifically four-door models, manufactured between June 20, 2012, and January 26, 2015. The calibration of the side impact sensor in those affected units may to be too sensitive. As a result, if the door is slammed too hard, the side-curtain airbag and seatbelt pre-tensioner may inadvertently activate. FCA reports that this issue affects an estimated 667,406 units in the United States, plus 153,011 in Canada, a further 8,272 in Mexico, and another 14,847 in markets outside of North America, amounting (in Chrysler's estimation) to less than 0.005 percent of those vehicles produced. The automaker says it is aware of two minor injuries (but no accidents) that may have resulted from the glitch, and is taking action to have the Occupant Restraint Control module recalibrated in the affected units. The second issue also affects Ram pickups, including 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500-series models from the 2012 to 2014 model years, built between January 18, 2011, and October 7, 2014, and fitted with the optional Electronic Vehicle Information Center. The problem here stems from a wiring harness in the steering wheel that may rub against a retainer spring in the air bag control module, which in turn could cause an electrical short and deploy the driver's side air bag unexpectedly. In the United States alone, the issue is estimated to affect 1,060,531 units, which will need to be inspected and, where necessary, have their steering wheel wiring harnesses secured, with protective caps added to the ends of the airbag retainer spring. These do not represent the first issues we've seen from Fiat Chrysler in recent days. The automaker recently issued a recall for approximately 1.4 million vehicles to have their Uconnect software updated to prevent hacking. A few days ago it also announced a recall for 350,000 Dodge Journey (and Fiat Freemont) crossovers to secure loose engine covers. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to issue Fiat Chrysler Automobiles a $105-million fine for mishandling other recent recalls and safety issues.

Fiat Chrysler's profit boosted by Ram and Jeep in North America

MILAN/DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler took the market by surprise by sticking to its full-year profit guidance on Wednesday after a strong performance from its Ram pickup truck in North America helped it defy an industry slowdown. Chief Executive Mike Manley, in FCA's first earnings release since a failed attempt to merge with France's Renault, also left the door open to that or other deals. "We are open to opportunity," Manley said on a call with analysts. "I have no doubt why there still would be interest in it," he added, when pressed on what it would take to revive talks with Renault. Manley declined to comment further. FCA last month abandoned its $35 billion merger offer for Renault, blaming French politics for scuttling what would have been a landmark deal to create the world's third-biggest automaker. Manley said a merger was not a must-have and Fiat Chrysler's business plan was strong. The company said it remained confident its adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) would top last year's 6.7 billion euros ($7.5 billion). Given disappointing forecasts from other automakers this earnings season, FCA's confirmation of the outlook sent Milan-listed shares in the Italian-American automaker, whose other brands include Jeep, up over 4%. A broad-based auto sales downturn has rattled the sector, forcing FCA's competitors — including Renault, Daimler and Aston Martin — to cut their sales forecasts after second-quarter results, while U.S. carmaker Ford gave a weaker-than-expected 2019 profit outlook. Japan's Nissan, a long-term partner of Renault, said it would cut 12,500 jobs by 2023 after its earnings collapsed. In the second quarter FCA's adjusted EBIT totaled 1.52 billion euros, versus analysts' expectations of 1.43 billion euros, according to a Reuters poll. FCA's U.S. shipments were down 12% in the second quarter but the group said that the successful performance of its Ram brand resulted in an enhanced share of the large pickup truck market of 27.9%, up 7 percentage points from last year. Adjusted EBIT margin in North America rose to 8.9% from 6.5% in the first quarter, thanks to strong demand for the heavy-duty Ram and the new Jeep Gladiator pickup. Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer also said FCA expected to report up to 10% margins in the region in both the third and fourth quarters.

Stellantis aims to eliminate separate inverter, charger to improve EV efficiency

Stellantis has announced that, in collaboration with French battery company Saft and French National Center for Scientific Research, has made significant progress in eliminating two major components of an electric vehicle powertrain: the on-board charger and the power inverter for the motor. The company claims that doing this will allow for better space use in vehicles, as well as improvements in efficiency, cost and reliability of components. As a quick primer, also explained in the below video, the on-board charger and power inverter are sort of translators to get the right current to different parts of the electric powertrain. The on-board charger takes AC power from the grid and converts it to DC to charge the batteries. Then when power goes from the batteries to the electric motor, the power inverter converts that DC power back to AC. These components aren't exactly small. Frequently you'll find them packaged somewhere under the hood. What Stellantis and its cohorts have developed, and have been using on a test vehicle since last summer, are small power inverter boards that can be mounted very closely to the battery packs. They can handle both conversion needs, for charging and discharging, instead of needing two separate devices. The most obvious perk to this is that you can do away with those traditional components and free up more space, either for making smaller vehicles without losing interior volume, or adding space to a vehicle that wouldn't have had it otherwise. There's the additional benefit of reduced weight, something that EVs struggle with. Stellantis also claims improvements in efficiency, reliability, and cost, however, it didn't go into detail as to how this setup would do that exactly. We'll try to get in touch with representatives from Stellantis in order to get more information. We're still a ways out from seeing this technology in production Stellantis vehicles. The company said it aims to apply it to vehicles by the end of the decade. Saft is also looking at using it on stationary battery systems as well. So maybe we'll see it on a 2029 Ram 1500 REV, but for now, we'll be living with traditional chargers and inverters. Related Video: Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat RAM Technology Electric