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Chrysler Recalling Nearly 907,000 Cars, SUVs

Nearly 907,000 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep SUVs and cars are being recalled for alternators that can fail and heated power mirror wiring that can short and cause minor fires. The recalls, posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators, push the total number of recalls so far this year 544, totaling a record of more than 52 million vehicles. The largest of Thursday's recalls covers nearly 470,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees, Chrysler 300s, and Dodge Chargers, Challengers and Durangos from the 2011 through 2014 model years. The alternators can fail, causing the 3.6-liter V6 engines to stall unexpectedly. The problem also can cause the electrical system to fail, as well as knock out power-assisted steering, antilock brakes and electronic stability control. It can even cause fire or smoke, according to documents Chrysler filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA opened an investigation into the problem in July, and Chrysler began its own probe in August. The company analyzed warranty complaints and alternators that had failed. The alternator generates electricity to recharge the battery and run other devices. Chrysler investigators traced the problem to heat fatigue in an alternator diode. Chrysler said it received 322 complaints about the problem, while 55 people complained to NHTSA. The company said it knows of one crash related to the problem, but no injuries or fires. The company will replace the alternators with upgraded versions for free. Owners will be notified in November. The company says customers who see warning lights or suspect a problem should contact their dealers. The recall affects cars and SUVs sold mainly in the U.S. and Canada, but some were sold in Mexico and overseas markets. The second recall covers almost 437,000 Jeep Wranglers from 2011 through 2013. Water can find its way into the heated power mirror wiring harness and cause corrosion. That can cause a short and could cause a minor fire and smoke, as well as cause loss of function of the mirror. The problem was discovered in February after three Wranglers in Canada were damaged. Chrysler says it has 26 complaints about the problem, but it knows of no fires, crashes or injuries. Dealers will move the wiring and install a protective shield to keep water out at no cost to owners, starting in December. Most of the Wranglers are in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, but more than 78,000 were sold overseas.

Dodge Charger SRT Widebody spied filming a commercial

The voice you hear in the video just below appears to be from Instagram user eviil_srt, and as you can tell, he's quite the Mopar superfan. Thing is, the car you see in that video appears worthy of such a fan's adoration. It's clearly a Dodge Charger Widebody, a vehicle that we've been anxiously awaiting ever since it was revealed in prototype form by Mark Trostle, head of design for Dodge and SRT, at Spring Fest 14. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Actually, we've been seeing hints of the wide Charger far longer than that – it was spotted testing on public roads before its officialish debut, and even prior to that, the car's rumored existence had the Internet rumbling with the force of a 700-plus-horsepower supercharged Hemi V8 for months. All that preamble brings us back to the present and the aforementioned Instagram post, in which this upcoming production Widebody was spotted presumably filming for an official television commercial debut. Note the body-color license plate on the Charger Widebody in the video, which indicates it's probably being used for an official purpose by Dodge. It's a short clip, but just long enough that we can clearly make out a big rear wing, vented bumper cover, and deep diffuser punctuated by large dual exhaust tips. We also see some extremely wide tires front and rear, which makes sense considering that there's very likely a whole corral's worth of ponies underhood. The current Dodge Challenger Widebody style is offered on the 485-horsepower R/T Scat Pack trim level, the SRT Hellcat trim level that bumps horsepower all the way to 717, and, for buyers who really hate their rear tires, the 797-hp Hellcat Redeye trim level. Dodge hasn't yet extended the excessively powerful Redeye engine to the Charger line, but the other two levels seem likely. And who knows – the Widebody's introduction might be the perfect opportunity to build a Charger Redeye. In any case, the fact that Dodge is filming commercials indicates that we won't have to wait much longer to find out for sure.

11 vehicles from Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas worth watching

This weekend will see the world's collector car crowds descend on Las Vegas, NV for one of the biggest shows on Barrett-Jackson's popular auction circuit. There are hundreds of vehicles up for bidding, ranging from a brand-new Lamborghini Aventador to a spattering of Art Deco classics and a huge swath of classic muscle cars.
While it's virtually impossible to assemble an inarguable list of the best cars coming during the three-day, 700-plus vehicle auction, we've sifted through the listings for this year's show - it was a tough assignment, we promise - and assembled a list of what we think will be some of the most interesting lots. We'll admit, it's a bit heavy on American iron, but if you browse BJ's listings, you'll come to a similar conclusion. Still, scroll down for our list of what we think will be the most interesting vehicles at the upcoming auction.