2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited on 2040-cars

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SUV lifts you up where you belong and leapfrogs traffic jams

So, you're at a dead stop, stuck in traffic, when it pulls up behind you. It appears to be a garden-variety Jeep Grand Cherokee. That is, until its undercarriage lifts the Jeep 9 feet into the air, and the whole rig straddles you and the cars ahead of you in a bid for open road. The car is called the Hum Rider, and no, you can't buy one at the Jeep store. It's a one-off publicity stunt intended to promote Verizon Telematic's Hum platform, which plugs into a car's OBD port and for $10 a month provides vehicle diagnostics, roadside assistance, location tracking, and speed and geo-fencing alerts. (Not sure if Hum tracks vertical leaps.) Verizon enlisted viral marketing agency Thinkmodo to promote the Hum, and this idea was head and shoulders above the rest. "We saw this one [and said], 'Wow, that is crazy,' said Jay Jaffin, Verizon's VP of marketing. "We loved the idea." Thinkmodo co-founder James Percelay told Mashable that they wanted to represent the upgrade Hum brings to cars. So the car goes up. Get it? Here's the star of this story: Hum Rider's designer, Scott Beverly, has done visual effects for Hollywood in The Dark Knight, Inception and Interstellar. He works for A2Zf, a Lancaster, Calif., design and engineering firm that keeps the world filled with Batmobiles, Red Bull Can Cars and beautifully designed VWs and Audis. A2Zf has also worked with NASA on X-planes and with Northrup on the B2 bomber, so compared to those projects, a car-straddling car is hardly a stretch. So what does it take to make a car do this? How about: Over 300 feet of hydraulic lines that operate everything - the lift mechanism, steering, braking and power to the drivetrain. A gas-powered Honda generator under the hood that powers hydraulic pumps pushing out 900 pounds of pressure. A lot of mechanical structure. Hum Rider weighs 8,500 pounds, almost double a standard Grand Cherokee. Heavy-duty truck tires to support all that weight. Four undercarriage cameras that allow the driver to see and clear what's beneath him. What did it cost? They're not saying. What would it be worth, the next time you're stuck in traffic? Priceless.

Airbag fault on 1M recalled Jeeps getting second look from NHTSA [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Here is the statement we received from Chrysler regarding NHTSA's query: "Chrysler Group LLC advised the National Highway Traffic Administration of the six reports and, in accordance with the Company's long-standing practice, is cooperating fully with the resulting investigation. Customer safety is paramount at Chrysler Group. Customers who are concerned may call 1-800-853-1403."
It appears that Jeep's repairs for nearly one million Grand Cherokees from 2002-2004 and Liberty models from 2002-2003 might not be over yet. The vehicles were first recalled in November 2012 because the front airbags could suddenly deploy without being in an accident. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a recall query into them because of reports of inadvertent activation on some already corrected vehicles.
The original problem affected over 919,000 vehicles worldwide, including 744,822 in the US, and was caused by a degrading circuit in the wires that control the airbags. In some cases the airbag warning light would come on just before the premature activation, but in other cases it would just happen. The automaker installed an "in-line jumper harness with an integrated electrical filter" meant to eliminate the power spikes believed to be the cause.

FCA recalling 425,000 Ram 1500, Jeep Compass to fix windshield wipers

Fiat Chrysler is recalling an estimated 425,588 Jeep Compass SUVs and Ram 1500 pickups to fix windshield wipers that may not be adequately secured. The voluntary recall involves Jeep Compass models and Ram 1500 and Ram 1500 Classics from the 2019 and 2020 model years built before March 3 of this year. FCA says it knows of no related injuries or accidents related to the issue, which involves a fastener that is supposed to connect windshield-wiper arms not being secured sufficiently. The new wiper nut was first introduced into production at a Detroit-area plant that builds the Ram 1500 on April 28, 2019. Left unaddressed, it could affect a driver’s visibility and increase the risk of a crash. One owner of a 2019 Compass in Wichita, Kan., filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in June 2019 and said the windshield wiper came off during a storm the day the vehicle was purchased. FCA says it will begin contacting affected customers later this month to arrange a free repair. Customers can also contact their dealer if their wipers donÂ’t sufficiently clear their windshield, or if the wiper arms get stuck and donÂ’t return to the rest position when de-activated. Customers can also contact customer service at 1-800-853-1403. The recall also affects an estimated 76,280 vehicles in Canada and 3,280 in Mexico. Recalls Jeep RAM Truck SUV