1976 Jeep Cj5 Frame Off Restored Crawler Dana Lifted V8 Tube Fenders Cage Cj 5 7 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

$40M award for boy's death in Jeep fire upheld by Georgia high court

The Georgia Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously upheld a $40 million award to the family of a 4-year-old boy killed in 2012 when the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee in which he was riding was rear-ended and burst into flames. A lower court in 2015 reduced a jury verdict from nearly $150 million to $40 million. Fiat Chrysler spokesman Michael Palese said the company was "disappointed in this decision. We are considering our legal options." The Jeep's fuel tank was placed near the back of the vehicle, which plaintiffs said made it vulnerable to rear-end collisions. The Supreme Court ruling said "evidence showed that Chrysler had long known that mounting a gas tank behind the rear axle was dangerous. Evidence also showed that Chrysler's placement of the gas tank behind the rear axle was contrary to industry trends, which favored placing tanks in front of the rear axle." Fiat Chrysler lawyers said during the trial that the fire did not cause Walden's death and blamed the driver of the pickup truck that hit the vehicle. The company said Thursday it "continues to extend sympathies to the family of Remi Walden for their loss." On appeal, the company contended it was prejudicial to raise Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne's compensation, which totaled more than $68 million, according to a company executive who testified at trial. The automaker had denied there was a safety issue and has said the vehicles were no more dangerous than comparable SUVs built at the time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) linked more than 50 deaths to the Jeep fuel-tank issue. Under government pressure, Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.56 million 2002-07 Jeep Liberty and 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs in June 2013 to address fire risks and agreed to install trailer hitches to protect the gas tanks. The recall and a "customer satisfaction campaign" that covered the Jeep in the fatal Georgia crash occurred after Marchionne held private talks with senior U.S. Transportation Department officials in 2013. The Georgia Supreme Court opinion said the award was proper in part because Marchionne was "alleged to have specifically interjected himself in a federal safety investigation to the detriment" of the Walden family. In 2015, NHTSA announced Fiat Chrysler would pay a then-record $105 million civil penalty over lapses in safety recalls involving millions of vehicles, including older Jeep SUVs for fire risks. Reporting by David ShepardsonRelated Video:

Driving the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe and Ford Explorer | Autoblog Podcast #844

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Electric, John Beltz Snyder. John recently attended the launch of both the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe and the 2025 Ford Explorer. In the fleet, we've been driving the Jeep Gladiator, BMW 5 Series and Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid. In the news, Nissan has updated the Frontier for 2025, while the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla gets an available automatic transmission. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #844     Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe 2025 Ford Explorer 2024 Jeep Gladiator 2024 BMW 530i xDrive 2024 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid 2025 Nissan Frontier gets a suite of meaningful upgrades 2025 Toyota GR Corolla gets available automatic transmission Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video:  2025 Explorer SUV interior review This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.