2012 Chrysler Town & Country Limited/nav 3.6l V6 on 2040-cars

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Chrysler recalling 278,222 trucks and SUVs over bad rear axles

Chrysler has issued a recall of 278,222 light trucks and sport utility vehicles here in the United States. The reason: bad rear axles. Specifically, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the rear axle pinion nut may lack a necessary adhesive patch, which could cause the nut to loosen. If this happens, the axle can lock up, which could cause all sorts of havoc on the road.
This is an expansion of the rear axle recall announced in October of last year, where 44,300 Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota models were being called in. At that time, 12 accidents had been reported due to the faulty axle pinion nut.
Affected vehicles include Ram 1500 trucks from the 2009 to 2012 model years, Dodge Dakota models from the 2009 to 2011 model years, and both the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUV twins, both from the 2009 model year only.

Chrysler's completely redesigned 200 caught totally uncovered

Preparing for a big debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month, the all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 was out for a late-night photo shoot fully undisguised, and our spy shooters were there to capture its all-new design completely uncovered. While there's no camouflage, the cover of darkness proved to be almost as effective, but we still get a good idea of what this former sore spot in the brand's lineup will look like after its clean-sheet redesign.
The first thing we notice is the stylish four-door-coupe roofline doing its best to impersonate something like the Audi A7, or maybe the Volkswagen CC. The front-end styling is a departure from recent Chrysler designs with narrow headlights and an equally short, chrome-trimmed grille. In profile, the bullet-nosed 200 is somewhat reminiscent of the Tesla Model S. This new design language should definitely help the 200 get noticed in a segment filled with hot sellers like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, as well as more stylish offerings like the Ford Fusion and Mazda6.
Our spies also caught up with the 200 testing in daylight and got some good shots of the interior. The instrument panel design looks similar to what is found in the Dodge Dart, including the oversized instrument gauges and possibly even the LED accent lighting. We would have to assume - and hope - this prototype is a test model due to its small touchscreen display, as Chrysler's 8.4-inch screen would look much better in its place. The center stack and console are clean with minimal buttons and knobs, but we do see a rotary gear selector, which may confirm reports from last year that suggested the 200 will use a nine-speed automatic transmission to help hit 38 miles per gallon on the highway.

Fiat GIF-based ads make our heads spin

Take a good, long look at the image above. Don't worry, it's completely real; you're not hallucinating. Would you believe that's an actual screencap from an actual ad commissioned by Fiat that's airing on actual television? Believe it.
The commercials started as a series of animated GIFs from The Richards Group for Fiat's Tumblr page, according to Adweek. Chrysler's Chief Marketing Officer reportedly liked them enough that he had them cut into ads for TV. The result is a combination of Internet meme heaven that includes the above horse mask and "Deal with it," animation, experimental filmmaking, cats, a person in a bunny suit twerking on a Fiat 500 and more general bizarreness.
Whatever your opinion on them, you have to admit that the advertising is certainly attention grabbing. Imagine looking up at the TV form your tablet to catch a glimpse of this weirdness. If you don't like them, Fiat is even giving people the chance to do a better job. Its Tumblr is open to submissions of new GIFs, which could lead to some very inappropriate and potentially hilarious results given the way that the Internet often works.