2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Base Standard Cab Pickup 2-door 5.9l on 2040-cars

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Dodge pulls New Girl and The Office stars for new Dart spots

Dodge is hoping that a heavy dash of humor helps it move some more units of the Dart with a hilarious ad campaign called Don't Touch My Dart. The spots star actors Craig Robinson, best known for his role as Darryl on The Office, and Jake Johnson from New Girl as neighbors and friends playing a game of one-upmanship over Robinson's new car. Johnson is envious of the ride and just wants to touch it.
The ads are pretty funny if you're a fan of somewhat absurdist humor, and Robinson has just the right amount of over-the-top seriousness to really make the commercials work. They have kind of a Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote vibe with Johnson constantly in inept pursuit of what he wants, but he clearly isn't getting it.
The first four spots in the campaign are already online, but according to Dodge this is just the beginning. The company says that it's planning about 24 different versions of these ads in various lengths to play on TV and online. You can check out the ads titled First Scratch, Birdhouse Police Garage Door and Voice Touching below, along with the brand's release about the new ads. There's also a pretty good gag on its YouTube page with Robinson protecting his Dart.

Takata air bag recall list

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed yesterday that 33.8 million vehicles with Takata airbags are going to be recalled. It's the largest recall in automotive history. The already record-breaking rate of automotive recalls this year shows no signs of slowing down, especially since millions of cars with defective airbags made by global supplier Takata are under ongoing scrutiny. The federal government is warning owners that inflator mechanisms in the air bags can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the bags are deployed. The faulty air bags have already been blamed for multiple deaths. How do you know if your vehicle is safe? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released an updated list of vehicles under recall. Sometimes however, the government's website will crash and the list may not be complete. Check your VIN at the NHTSA website to make sure. The list of cars affected by the recall has not been released, but seem to span multiple models over the years for many of the automakers.

Star Wars Episode VII ad is a force for Dodge

Happy Star Wars day! Some of you might be bleary eyed and begging for coffee after attending midnight screenings of Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens last night (*raises hand*) but the show must go on. And for Dodge, that show has been all about Star Wars. While the entirety of FCA joined the tie-in marketing campaign for the long-awaited JJ Abrams blockbuster, Dodge made out the best. According to Wards Auto, the brand's The Force Gathers spot took the top spot in this week's most engaging automotive ads, capturing nearly a quarter of share-of-voice ratings and garnering over a quarter-of-a-million earned online views. Since the ad began airing earlier this month, it's scored over 430,000 views on YouTube alone. The relatively simple ad evokes Darth Vader and his legions of storm troopers. In the 30-second spot, a black Viper leads six long columns of white Chargers, Challengers, and Durangos while John Williams' iconic Imperial March blares in the background. It ends at the stand of an overwhelmed pair of valets outside a screening for Episode VII. We've embedded the spot at the top of the page if you haven't seen it. Check it out, and may the Force be with you. Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens is in theaters today. Related Video: