2013 Ram Express 1500 4wd Crew on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler and the UAW reach tentative labor deal

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on Saturday announced a tentative agreement for a four-year labor contract, a boost for the automaker as it works to merge with France's Groupe PSA. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler and PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen, last month announced a planned $50 billion merger to create the world's fourth-largest automaker. The tentative agreement with Fiat Chrysler, which is subject to ratification by the union members, follows contracts that the UAW already concluded with Ford Motor Co and General Motors Co. The deal with GM followed a 40-day strike in the United States that virtually shuttered GM's North American operations and cost the automaker $3 billion. The UAW on Saturday said the contract with Fiat Chrysler included a commitment from FCA to invest $9 billion, creating 7,900 new jobs over the course of the four-year contract. Of the $9 billion, $4.5 billion was announced earlier this year, to be invested in five plants and creating 6,500 jobs. Detailed terms of the tentative agreement were not released, but they are expected to echo those under the new contracts with GM and Ford, as the UAW typically uses the first deal as a pattern for the others. "FCA has been a great American success story thanks to the hard work of our members," UAW acting President Rory Gamble said in a statement. "We have achieved substantial gains and job security provisions for the fastest growing auto company in the United States." Ratification is not a sure thing. Rank-and-file UAW members at FCA in 2015 rejected the first version of a contract. In addition, a lawsuit related to a federal corruption probe could also raise doubts among union members about the terms agreed. The federal corruption led GM to file a racketeering lawsuit against FCA, alleging that its rival bribed union officials over many years to corrupt the bargaining process and gain advantages, costing GM billions of dollars. FCA has brushed off the lawsuit as groundless. Under the UAW's deal with GM, the automaker agreed to invest $9 billion in the United States, including $7.7 billion directly in its plants, and to create or retain 9,000 UAW jobs. Ford's contract included commitments to invest more than $6 billion in its U.S. plants and to create or retain more than 8,500 UAW jobs. The deals with GM and Ford also created a pathway to full-time employment for temporary workers and left healthcare insurance coverage unchanged.

Chrysler recalling 382k Ram HD diesel pickups, 184k SUVs

Between GM's ignition switches and Takata's airbags, it's been a big year for recalls, but they keep rolling in. The latest comes from Chrysler, which has announced a pair of recalls for certain heavy-duty pickups and SUVs.
The first issue revolves around the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine available in the 2010-2014 Ram HD trucks, including 2500 and 3500 series pickups as well as 4500 and 5500 series chassis cabs. In the affected units, "a terminal connector near the fuel heater may be subject to friction-induced corrosion," according to the first of the two announcements from Chrysler below.
The problem could result in overheating and fuel leakage. Chrysler launched its investigation following cases of overheating, none of which actually started a fire, much less an injury or accident. As a precautionary measure, however, Chrysler is instructing service technicians to replace the terminals on an estimated 381,876 Ram units around the world - the vast majority of those (314,704) registered in the US, another 59,432 in Canada, 1,803 in Mexico and 5,937 abroad.

2018 Ram 1500 Buying Guide | Popular pickup information and review

Spun out from Dodge as a standalone truck brand in 2009, the Ram 1500 is a full-size pickup and oldest in the stable of Big Three pickups, last updated in 2013. But it commands a loyal following among truck buyers, thanks to things like its styling, rugged capability, comfortable ride and innovative storage systems. It will be replaced by the 2019 Ram, an all-new truck, but for now the 2018 is still on sale – and will be for some time, as it'll be rebadged as the 1500 Classic and sold alongside the new pickup for a period of time. This buyer's guide covers the 2018 Ram 1500, not the 2019 1500 or 1500 Classic. The 2018 Ram 1500 is available in a whopping 11 different trim levels, ranging from the entry-level Tradesman to the luxury-minded Limited Tungsten edition, with many of the top-level trims getting the redesigned Ram grille and large Ram emblem on the tailgate that will become standard on the all-new 2019 Ram. It's also offered in crew cab, quad cab and regular cab, and. With this buyer's guide, Autoblog aims to help you make an educated decision about whether or not to buy the 2018 Ram 1500. We'll touch on safety and reliability ratings, engine specs, horsepower, fuel economy ratings and pricing. And we'll conclude with a summary of Autoblog's most recent test-drive of the Ram 1500. Ram 1500 safety ratings The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gives the Ram 1500 an overall rating of four out of five stars. On frontal crashes, the trucks gets four stars, and it gets a top rating of five stars for side crash protection. Rollover crash ratings range from three of five stars for the four-wheel-drive versions to four stars for rear-wheel-drive models. Crash ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are more of a mixed bag. IIHS gives the Ram 1500 "marginal" ratings for driver-side small overlap front crash protection, roof strength, headlights and LATCH child-seat anchors, while assigning "good" ratings for everything else. Because ratings may vary for Ram 1500s from other model years, you should visit the NHTSA and IIHS websites to review ratings on the specific vehicle you're researching. Is the Ram 1500 reliable? You have to go back to the 2016 model-year for the last Ram 1500 that J.D. Power reviewed. It gave the pickup two out of five stars — "below average" — for overall quality, and three of five stars — "about average" — for overall performance and design, and predicted reliability.