2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland on 2040-cars

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2016 Jeep Wrangler recalled over impact sensor wiring

Fiat Chrysler just announced a pair of recalls totaling nearly 311,000 units. The bigger recall affects certain 2016 and 2017 model year Jeep Wranglers. Although, since FCA claims all of the affected 2017s are in the company's hands, really, only 2016 owners should pay attention here. The affected Wranglers suffer from an issue where wiring disconnects from impact sensors in certain types of crashes, potentially preventing the airbags and pretensioners from activating. FCA uncovered the problem in what its press release calls "a routine, in-house crash test" and claims "service availability is imminent." The affected Jeeps require a simple rewiring. The other recall, announced Tuesday, is more of a fleet issue, affecting 2007 to 2013 model-year Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups and 3500, 4500, and 5500 chassis cabs and 2011 to 2014 Dodge Charger Pursuit police vehicles. There's a problem with "premature diode wear" in alternators that are subject to "frequent load cycling, at or near maximum amperage, [or] in hot ambient temperatures." Affected alternators could short out, causing a vehicle to stall or potentially catch fire. FCA lists 182,743 affected Wranglers in the US, 18,011 in Canada, 3,087 in Mexico, and 20,948 in global markets. The Ram/ Charger Pursuit recall lists 74,833 vehicles in the US, 10,077 in Canada, 1,088 in Mexico, and 134 outside the NAFTA region. Of all those vehicles, the Jeep recall hasn't caused any injuries or fatalities, while FCA says it's aware of one "potentially related injury" and no accidents due to its fleet vehicle recall. FCA says it will notify owners/operators of affected vehicles when service appointments are available. As per usual, all the work is free of charge. Related Video:

Mopar teases three concepts for SEMA

Chrysler first used the Mopar name in the 1920s, someone getting the idea to combine the words "motor" and "parts" for a service with that specialty. The automaker trademarked the name in 1937, first applying it to a line of antifreeze sold in cans. This makes 2022 the 85th anniversary of the division that now covers everything from service and parts to additional performance and customer care. We already heard the house of the round red M is going to SEMA with "a different flavor" of the battery-electric Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept that will begin to demonstrate future EV tuning possibilities. Thanks to a trio of concept sketches, we know Mopar's 15,345-square-foot booth will house a couple of Ram concepts and a fantastical Jeep to boot. We know next to nothing about them. The Jeep can be identified as an EV thanks to its Surge name, the circuit board motif on the sketch, and the EV badge behind the front wheel. The rig in the sketch appears to have no doors, and there's some structure ahead of the cabin that looks like a spare wheel, making us wonder at first if we were looking toward the front or the back. The door shutline and curve of the fender clarify the direction. We'll find out in a couple of weeks if Jeep plans on showing off tuning options for its electric wares same as Dodge. Mopar's press release on the show started with claiming it is "Charged Up" for SEMA. We're guessing that after Jeep's electric charge, Ram's talking about a super charge, one of the concepts being what appears to be a TRX in dayglo colors. The second Ram seems less rowdy, painted in a tri-tone 1970's style with a pinstripe and all, and fitted with what looks like a topper extending below the bed rails. The outdoor and overlanding life hasn't abated any since Ram showed its Rebel OTG Concept at the 2019 SEMA Show, so this could be another entirely fanciful take on overlanding. It's also possible that after Ram filed a patent application to trademark a vehicle built similarly to the Rebel OTG, we could see a bugout truck closer to production possibility.    The Stellantis brands could bask in more attention this year, with Ford, GM, Honda, and Hyundai all having pulled out. We'll find out what Dodge, Jeep, and Ram are all charged up about when SEMA happens from November 1-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. 

Steve McQueen's U.S. Army Willys Jeep is up for auction

It's not a Bullitt Mustang, but this World War II Willys Jeep up for auction was still owned and driven by the famous Steve McQueen, and it could now be yours. Heading to the block with Silverstone Auctions, this 1945 Willys was bought directly from the U.S. Army by McQueen himself. The Willys was sold in 1984 as part of the Steve McQueen Estate Auction for a whopping $6,000, and then sold to its current owner some undisclosed amount of time after that. Currently, the Willys resides in the U.K. where it was completely restored to the state it would have been in during McQueen's ownership. The restoration process was completed by the Jeep experts at Jeeparts. It comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Steve McQueen Estate Sale to ensure its legitimacy. Silverstone Auctions is predicting a final hammer price of $105,00 - $131,000. That's pretty exorbitant for an old Willys, but there's certainly been a bit of excitement around the late actor here recently. Bonhams just auctioned off some old motorcycles owned by McQueen, and Ford has finally brought the Bullitt Mustang back to the market. If you're a fan with a little (or a lot of) extra change in your back pocket, this looks like a perfect way to have some off-road fun in a car with some seriously special history. The auction is taking place Nov 10-11 near Birmingham in the U.K. Related Video: