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FCA recalls 1.1 million vehicles worldwide due to confusing shifter

Fiat Chrysler is recalling 1.1 million vehicles worldwide to address the problematic shifter used on cars with eight-speed automatic transmissions. The issue is that the console-mounted shifter acts like a rocker switch and always returns to the middle position after moved. This has been deemed confusing to drivers – confusing enough to cause some to exit their vehicles without first selecting Park and leading to the car rolling away. FCA says 41 injuries are related to the shifter problem, and no evidence of equipment failure has been found. The company will enhance warning chimes and alter the shift strategy, meaning alert messages will be displayed in case the driver door is opened while the engine is running. With the door open, the transmission will prevent the car from moving even if Park is not selected. The affected vehicles are certain model-year 2012–2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans, as well as model-year 2014–2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs, an estimated 811,586 US vehicles in total. The recall also affects 52,144 vehicles in Canada, 16,805 in Mexico, and 248,667 vehicles elsewhere. The shifter is used with ZF-designed and ZF-built eight-speed automatic; Audi uses a similar shifter setup in some of its vehicles, including the current-generation, which predated Chrysler's use of it. Chrysler uses a different, a rotating-dial-type shifter on eight-speed-equipped Rams. The company moved away from the problem shifter design in 2015 for the Charger and 300, and the Grand Cherokee's shift lever was modified for 2016. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified of the recall when service is available. Fiat Chrysler urges customers to follow the instructions in the vehicle's owner's manual in the meantime. Related Video: News Source: FCAImage Credit: AOL Recalls Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Ownership Safety SUV Sedan

Your 2018 Jeep Wrangler can already be fitted with a Chevy LS V8

Over a long enough period of time, every car model on the planet will probably have at least one example receive a Chevrolet V8. And a large number of them will have an LS-series V8, commonly found in Corvettes and Camaros from the last 20 years (plus other GM vehicles in slightly different forms). Sometimes it doesn't take very long, as is the case with the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL. The new Jeep has only been available for a couple of months, and already a company called Bruiser Conversions is offering to install LS engines under the hood. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Specifically, the company will install a GM Performance LS3 V8. Though Bruiser Conversions doesn't yet list exactly what specifications the engine has, it offers the LS3 in both 450- and 500-horsepower versions on the previous Wrangler JK generation. The new V8 will be fitted to the factory 8-speed automatic transmission, and the company says that the transmission will function exactly as it does with the original V6 or turbo inline-4. In addition, Bruiser Conversions says all factory gauges, cruise control, hill descent control and other electronic aids will work like they did from the factory. Pricing is currently not listed for the conversion, but the company is taking pre-orders for both in-shop installations and do-it-yourself kits. Going off the conversion costs for an older JK Wrangler, it will probably cost between $20,000 and $30,000 to have Bruiser Conversions do the installation. In the case of the JK kits, they're about $5,000 less than having Bruiser Conversions do the work. We've reached out to the company to see if we can get specific pricing and will update the post if and when we hear back. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Bruiser ConversionsImage Credit: Bruiser Conversions Aftermarket GM Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles Performance ls3

Chrysler Recalls Jeep SUVs For Ignition Switches

The ignition switch defects that engulfed General Motors are now a rapidly growing problem at Chrysler. Chrysler said Tuesday it is recalling up to 792,300 older Jeep SUVs worldwide because the ignition switches could fall out of the "run" position, shutting off the engine and disabling air bags as well as power-assisted steering and braking. That's the same problem that has forced GM to recall more than 15 million cars over the last six months. Chrysler's recall covers 2005-2007 Grand Cherokees and 2006-2007 Commanders. The company said it is not sure exactly how many will be recalled, but said it will notify customers by mid-September. Chrysler said an outside force such as a driver's knee can knock switches out of the "run" position. Engineers are working on a fix. The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker, now part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, said it knows of no related injuries and only one accident. But it said owners should keep clearance between their knees and keys until repairs are made. Chrysler has now recalled more than 1.7 million vehicles for ignition-switch problems. In June, the company added 696,000 minivans and SUVs to a 2011 recall to fix faulty ignition switches. Those recalls covered Dodge Journey SUVs and Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan and Volkswagen Routan minivans - which Chrysler made for the German automaker - from the 2007 to 2010 model years. Tuesday's recall is the outgrowth of two investigations opened by U.S. safety regulators last month as part of a broader probe into ignition-switch and air-bag problems across the auto industry. The agency wouldn't say Tuesday whether its investigation could lead to recalls at other automakers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in June that it was investigating Jeep Commanders and Grand Cherokees after getting 32 complaints that a driver's knee can hit the key fob or key chain, causing the ignition switch to move out of position. The federal investigation is still open. The agency said Tuesday that it is requesting additional information from Chrysler to ensure that its repairs will be effective. The investigations and recalls come after GM bungled an ignition-switch recall of older small cars. GM acknowledged that it knew of the ignition problem for more than a decade but failed to recall the cars until earlier this year, when it recalled 2.6 million small cars such as the Chevrolet Cobalt.