1995 Jeep Wrangle *mudder / Rock Crawler *no Reserve! on 2040-cars

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NHTSA closes probes on Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey

The Detroit News reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially closed its investigations into 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey models. The separate probes found no issues that pose safety concerns. NHTSA began investigating certain Grand Cherokee SUVs over complaints that power steering hoses could detach during operation, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicle fire. Of the 24 reports of failure, none alleged smoke or fire in the engine bay, and Chrysler has since modified the power steering cooler assembly to reduce the likelihood of the failure.
Meanwhile, certain Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles garnered a government probe after receiving complaints that the models were equipped with faulty scissor jacks. The agency had received six reports of the jacks failing or causing injuries, including one incident that resulted in a fatality. But NHTSA says the jack failure rate is similar to those found in other vehicles. In those six cases, the government agency found the jacks were being used for something other than changing a tire, and investigators could not determine whether the emergency brake was set or the rear tires were properly chocked.

FCA US put on probation, Stellantis to pay $300M for emission scheme

DETROIT — FCA US, formerly known as Chrysler Group, was placed on probation for three years Monday and ordered to pay roughly $300 million for deceiving regulators about diesel emission systems on 101,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500 trucks. The sentence was part of an earlier agreement. FCA in June pleaded guilty to conspiracy in federal court in Detroit. Engineers were accused of using software tricks and taking other steps to meet U.S. emission standards while marketing the vehicles as “clean EcoDiesel.” The vehicles were diesel Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500 trucks from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 model years. FCA now is part of Stellantis. “Stopping violations of environmental laws and the defrauding of consumers is paramount to the protection of clean air and human health," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. Separately, three FCA employees face charges in the investigation. In 2017, Volkswagen was ordered to pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty for cheating on U.S. diesel emissions tests. The company also paid $1.5 billion in a civil case brought by the government and said it would spend $11 billion to buy back cars and offer other compensation. Government/Legal Green Jeep RAM Emissions Truck SUV Diesel Vehicles ecodiesel

Dodge, Jeep, Ram showcasing electric wares over the next four months

Mopar Insiders took notes on Stellantis' half-year earnings call. Seems three of the eight Stellantis brands operating in the U.S. will be making big announcements about coming electric offerings in the next few months. Dodge is up first. We've been writing about the house of the muscle car trying to put on an extra special show during its Speed Week in Detroit in August, the span between Roadkill Nights and the Woodward Dream Cruise. Seems that's confirmed with the presentation of a "Gateway" muscle car and a "Future" muscle car. The former is expected happen on August 16 and be the Hornet PHEV, Dodge's version of the Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV. The plug-in hybrid Tonale Q4 uses the powertrain from the Euro-market Jeep Compass 4xe, but gets a larger battery pack and produces a total 275 hp. We're looking forward to finding out if brand overlords decided the Dodge should have more, less, or the same output as the Alfa, and the same battery pack or the smaller Compass pack. The latter "Future" vehicle is expected to bow the day after. This would be a concept version of the Challenge e-muscle car that we've been salivating over for too long. Given two of Stellantis' most powerful motors slotted into the STLA Large platform, output north of 800 horses seems to be the consensus. The production version isn't slated for sale until the end of 2023, so the model on showroom floors will likely differ slightly from what we see next week. It's Jeep's turn in September, the off-road brand shining light on the plug-in hybrid options headed to showroom floors here. That should mean news on the Renegade 4xe and Compass 4xe anticipated in the U.S. in 2024, and a Gladiator 4xe the year after. Wagoneer and Cherokee electrification plans could be on the docket, too, as well as plans for wider global distribution of the Jeepster we've seen in Europe.  Finally, two months later, Ram takes the stage for updates on its electric Revolution. So far, that entails the Ram Promaster BEV, a van likely to combine years of experience from the Fiat Ducato Electric and the Peugeot E-Boxer that have been serving fleets in Europe. MI thinks November topics will include a 79-kWh battery, four drive modes, and the chance of the ProMaster getting a side door for delivery fleets like Amazon. Of course, the electric Ram pickup is the meat enthusiasts will have their forks out for.