2021 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe on 2040-cars

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Woman and child die after Jeep gets stuck in mud

A Florida woman and her baby died over the weekend when their Jeep sank into deep mud during an off-roading trip. Taylor Brown took his girlfriend Hallie Lewis and their infant son Bryson off-roading in his Jeep Cherokee on Saturday night. The Jeep became stuck in thick mud, according to WESH. Brown got out of the vehicle while Lewis and Bryson remained inside. Using a winch, Brown tried – unsuccessfully – to free the Jeep. The Cherokee was left running as he struggled to pull it out of the mud. When he returned to the Jeep to check on his son and girlfriend, he found them unresponsive. Taylor pulled the two out of the back window, but it was too late. Lewis was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The baby died shortly thereafter. Police are still investigating, but their deaths appear to be a tragic accident due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The tailpipe of the Jeep was either submerged or caked with mud, allowing the deadly gas to build up inside the vehicle. News Source: WESH Weird Car News Jeep tailpipe carbon monoxide

Prosecutors indict three FCA employees in alleged emissions-cheating case

Federal prosecutors indicted three Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA, now Stellantis) employees as part of an investigation into alleged emissions cheating. Charges unsealed on April 20, 2021, accuse the defendants of helping rig the emissions control system fitted to the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 used in some models during the 2010s. Prosecutors claim Emanuele Palma, Sergio Pasini, and Gianluca Sabbioni played a determining role in developing a defeat device that allowed the V6 to obtain certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while polluting too much in normal driving conditions. Jeep and Ram began making the engine available in the Grand Cherokee and the 1500, respectively, in 2014, but the charges state plans to game the EPA started in 2011. Palma, Pasini, and Sabbioni knowingly mislead federal regulators, the charges claim; they called it "cycle beating," according to The Detroit News. While the three men were part of FCA's research and development department, they started the project while working for an Italian supplier named VM Motori, which FCA purchased in 2013. Pasini and Sabbioni are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Clean Air Act, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and six counts of violating the Clean Air Act. They could spend several years behind bars if they're found guilty. Both are currently in their home country of Italy. Palma's legal troubles are more serious. He was charged with several counts in September 2019, though four wire fraud charges were dropped in November 2020. He lives in Bloomfield Hills, a city located on the far outskirts of Detroit. Prosecutors claim motorists spent over $4 billion on over 100,000 trucks and SUVs fitted with the non-compliant engine between January 2013 and September 2017. FCA has already agreed to pay $800 million to resolve civil claims from the Justice Department, state officials and customers, though it significantly has not admitted guilt. It stressed that "it did not engage in any deliberate scheme to install defeat devices to cheat emissions tests."

Jeep Wrangler Scrambler pickup spied in some scrapes on the Rubicon Trail

We've seen the Jeep Wrangler Scrambler pickup truck many, many times at this point, but every time has been on the streets. Now, thanks to some members of the Jeep Scrambler Forum, we get a look at the truck cruising on the Rubicon Trail. It's a fitting location, since that's where Jeep says it determines if a vehicle earns the "Trail Rated" badge of honor. We're pretty certain that the Scrambler will still earn the Trail Rated badge, since it has the four-wheel-drive, axle design and presumably the ground clearance of a normal Wrangler, which also earns the badge. That said, the photos from the forum do reveal some of the weak points one would expect from a stretched-out Wrangler. The lengthened wheelbase hurts the breakover angle and puts the rocker panels and frame at greater risk for damage. As pointed out in the forum, the camouflage looks pretty roughed up in those areas, and there don't appear to be any rock rails/frame sliders to protect it. The lack of them probably means this isn't a Rubicon model, as they're standard equipment on the Rubicon SUV models. If you plan to off-road a Scrambler, they're probably a wise investment. The other weak point is the large hangover from the truck bed. This is an inevitability for having a usable truck bed, especially on a four-door truck. But it means the departure angle is much shallower, thus the tail end is at risk of being dragged and damaged. Looking closely, and it appears that happened with one of the trucks, as the bumper looks angled upward as though it got snagged on a rock or bent after hitting the ground. These aren't risks exclusive to the Jeep Wrangler Scrambler, though. Any pickup truck taken off-road is going to have to contend with these issues. It's the tradeoff of having lots of cargo space and room for people, as opposed to the tidy little box that is the two-door Wrangler SUV. Related Video: