2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk on 2040-cars

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Chrysler taking big risk snubbing NHTSA

Maker Insists Feds Overstate Risk Of Fires With Grand Cherokee, Liberty Models
It's not often that recall stories make it above the fold, in that old newspaper parlance, but when one shows up as the lead story on the network evening news programs, you know it's something big.
And so it is with Chrysler snubbing its nose at a request by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall 2.7 million Jeeps the feds insist are at risk of potentially catastrophic fuel tank fires in a rear-end collision.

5 classic trucks and their polarizing modern revivals

EVs are helping eliminate Detroit's gas-guzzling problem. Some revivals of gas-powered classics are getting the EV treatment.  But not every revived model looks exactly like its original counterpart. We're in a new era of hulking Detroit metal, and you can thank EVs. Americans can't get enough of their big, beefy trucks and SUVs. But for many years, some of the biggest gas guzzlers fell out of fashion as gas prices rose and emissions regulations tightened. But in the past few years, some of the most iconic American truck nameplates have been brought back to life with electric motors, like the GMC Hummer. In other cases, as with the Ford Bronco, improvements in engine technology and more interest in rugged adventure vehicles made a gas-powered revival possible. Even some revivals that started as gas-powered, like the Chevy Blazer and the Jeep Wagoneer, are now getting electrified spinoffs. (Even if they don't always look quite as sleek as their original inspiration.) Here are side-by-sides of five classic American trucks and their modern counterparts. The Jeep Wagoneer 1975 Jeep Wagoneer and 2024 Electric Jeep Wagoneer SStellantis After a long wait, Jeep released its revival of the classic Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in 2020. Starting later this year, an electric version of the luxury Jeep SUV will join the Wagoneer lineup. The Chevrolet Blazer A 1973 Chevrolet Blazer and a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EVGetty Images, General Motors The Chevrolet Blazer was first rebooted in 2019 as a sporty family SUV. The modern Blazer shares zero resemblance to its boxy, off-roading older sibling, but it has still managed to become one of Chevy's more popular SUVs in recent years. The Blazer EV came later, and was one of the first models GM built on its new Ultium battery platform. The Hummer A Hummer H2 and the 2023 Hummer EV pickup truckGetty Images, General Motors Once the poster child for Detroit's big, bad gas guzzlers, the Hummer got new life as an electric pickup truck in 2021. The Ford Bronco A 1971 Ford Bronco and a 2022 Ford BroncoFord Motor Co. After a rouge group of engineers and designers inside Ford spent years trying to breathe life back into the Blue Oval's boxy off-roader, the Ford Bronco was finally resurrected in 2020 amid a rise in popularity for rugged adventure vehicles. The Ford Ranger 1985 Ford Ranger and a 2024 Ford RangerFord Motor Co.

Jeep and Ram diesel owners get $3,075 in lawsuit settlement

Owners of certain Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokees equipped with diesel engines will get up to $3,075 in compensation for repairs under a settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler over illegal emissions-cheating software. The roughly $800 million settlement was first announced in January and approved by a federal judge in California last week, according to Consumer Reports. The affected vehicles are 2014 to 2016 Ram 1500 pickup trucks and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs equipped with 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 engines. FCA will update the emissions control software, provide an extended warranty covering up to 10 years or 120,000 miles, and provide cash compensation. Eligible owners will get as much as $3,075, while eligible lessees, former lease holders and former owners will get up to $990, and partial owners will get up to $2,460. FCA has established an EcoDiesel Settlement website where affected owners can find more information on how to submit and track a claim and sign up for updates. Customers with questions can also call 833-280-4748. Vehicle owners will have 21 months to submit a claim, with a deadline of Feb. 3, 2021, and two years to complete the repair and receive compensation for it. Former owners and lease holders must submit claims by Aug. 1, 2019. The EPA in early 2017 issued a notice of violation to FCA after Jeep and Ram installed eight emissions control devices on diesel vehicles. FCA's settlement includes $311 million in total civil penalties to U.S. and California regulators, up to $280 million to resolve claims from diesel owners, $105 million in extended warranties, $72.5 million in state civil penalties and $33.5 million in payments to California for excess emissions and to resolve consumer claims. Auto supplier Robert Bosch GmbH, which provided emissions control software, is paying $27.5 million to resolve claims, plus $103.5 million to settle claims with 47 states. The federal court also approved consent decrees between FCA, the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, plus agreements with all 50 stats and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In a statement, FCA said, "The settlements contain no findings of wrongdoing, nor admission of any wrongdoing, by FCA US" and added that the software fixes will have no affect on average fuel economy, performance or other characteristics of the vehicles.