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FCA and ZF issue recall on nine-speed automatic transmission

After years of complaints, German transmission manufacturer ZF is finally issuing a recall of its much maligned 9HP nine-speed automatic transmission. Although it has been criticized for a number of issues, ZF is issuing the recall to address the possibility of the transmission unexpectedly shifting into neutral. The issue covers 505,000 vehicles in the United States alone. This issue is related to an improper crimp on the transmission wiring harness. Rather than a physical fix, ZF is issuing a software update to remedy the problem. The company doesn't recommend dealers attempt to fix the crimp. Although the transmission can be found in a number of models by various manufacturers, currently only those from FCA are being recalled. This is the second recall in less than a year related to a ZF transmission shifting into neutral. FCA recently recalled more than a million vehicles worldwide because of a poorly designed shifter for ZF's 8HP eight-speed automatic. That issue may have resulted in the death of actor Anton Yelchin in June. Although there are no deaths related to this new recall, NHTSA reports that the issue has resulted in at least 10 injuries. Issues with the transmission have been known for years. A number of software updates have attempted to address various problems, making us wonder if there could be a fundamental hardware issue as the complaints span across a number of automakers. Vehicles equipped with the 9HP include 2014 and newer versions of the V6 Acura TLX, Chrysler 200, Fiat 500X, upper-level Honda Pilots, Jeep Cherokee and Renegade, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, and Ram ProMaster City. Only FCA is issuing a recall and only on 2014 and 2015 models. Related Video: News Source: NHTSA Recalls Chrysler Fiat Jeep Safety FCA nine-speed transmission

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid recalled over fire risks

WASHINGTON — Chrysler parent Stellantis is recalling 19,808 plug-in hybrid minivans and urged owners to stop recharging them, after reports of 12 fires in parked vehicles. The automaker said the recall covers 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. All were parked and turned off, while eight were connected to chargers. Stellantis said it was unaware of any related injuries or accidents. Stellantis is advising owners to refrain from recharging the vehicles and to park them away from structures and other vehicles. The automaker said it is working to confirm the cause of the fires. Owners can keep operating the vehicles using the internal combustion engine. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declined to comment. The recall comprises 16,741 vehicles in the United States, 2,317 in Canada and another 750 outside North America. Other automakers have faced fire issues with plug-in hybrid or full electric vehicles. General Motors halted production of its Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle in August and has extended that halt through the end of this month. The largest U.S. automaker in August widened its recall of the Bolt to more than 140,000 vehicles to replace battery modules after a series of fires. GM has also indefinitely halted retail sales of new Bolt vehicles. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Junkyard Gem: 1993 UMC Aeromate Food Truck

One of my favorite things about living in the Mile High City is all the food trucks roaming the neighborhoods here. I'm a regular at such fine mobile eating establishments as Tacos el Huequito, Mikes2Kitchen, and Yuan Wonton, and I'm pleased that South Denver's metal-centric Brutal Poodle bar now has its own food truck. The sad part about food trucks, however, is that they're trucks, and sometimes old trucks wear out and have to be sent to the knacker's yard. Here's a once-ebullient Denver food truck that met that fate and now resides in a self-service yard just south of the city. This truck started out as a member of the extended UMC Aeromate family, built in Indiana by the company now known as Utilimaster. I couldn't find much useful information about this particular model, which seems to have the windshield and nose of one of the many UMC-based RVs instead of the typical long snout of most Aeromates. What I do know is that it's based on an early-1990s Chrysler minivan chassis, complete with 3.3-liter V6 engine and the instrument cluster out of a 1992 Plymouth Voyager. The 3.3 made 150 horsepower in 1993, and it was installed in Chrysler minivans through 2010. 150 horses (and 180 pound-feet) isn't much for a big truck packed with a complete kitchen, and the strain on a Torqueflite automatic transmission designed for a 3,400-pound minivan must have been severe. I think the drivetrain on this 29-year-old truck just couldn't hold up under the demands of a hard-working crew of sandwich entrepreneurs in the extreme weather and traffic conditions of High Plains Colorado. The county licensing sticker expired in late 2019, so it took a couple of years for this UMC to reach this place. Don't weep for the Little Big Sandwich Truck, though, because the LBST Empire upgraded to a newer, GM-built school bus a few years ago and appears to be slinging sandwiches outside Denver-area breweries to this day. The headlights and marker lights clearly came from a late-first-generation Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager (the second-generation Chrysler minivans, which debuted in the 1991 model year, got different noses). The grille looks like typical RV equipment. I've seen a few junked ice cream trucks over the years, but somehow a sandwich truck with a stenciled snorkeling dachshund seems sadder. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.