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Dodge Journey and Fiat Freemont engine-cover recall affects 350k CUVs

FCA is recalling 349,731 examples of the 2011-2015 Dodge Journey and Fiat Freemont worldwide to better secure their engine covers. Of these affected vehicles, there are 144,416 in the US, 43,679 in Canada, 46,231 in Mexico, and 115,405 elsewhere. About 10 percent of them are also still at dealers, according to the automaker. Only models with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine are affected by this campaign. According to the company, the engine covers on these vehicles can be dislodged, and this can pose a fire risk if the loose part comes in contact with hot exhaust components. Warning signs of this happening include a noise under the hood, burning smell or a light on the instrument panel. The problem was discovered after three incidents on rough roads in Chile, and there was one minor injury there. According to FCA US spokesperson Eric Mayne to Autoblog, there have been eight occurrences of this issue reported in the US, but these were all related to "heat damage." There have been no reported injuries here. To fix the problem, dealers will install new engine-cover retainers on the affected models. These repairs will begin in August. As always for recall repairs, owners won't be charged. Statement: Engine Cover July 22, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 144,416 crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) in the U.S. to better secure their engine covers. Engine covers in certain vehicles may become dislodged. If they come in contact with exhaust components, it may pose a fire risk. This condition was discovered during an FCA US investigation of three incidents in Chile. In each case, the vehicle had been driven extensively on unpaved or uneven surfaces. The Company is aware of a single related injury, described as minor. Affected are 2011-2015 Dodge Journey and Fiat Freemont CUVs equipped with 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engines. FCA US will install upgraded engine-cover retainers in these vehicles. The remedy will be available when customer notification begins next month; service will be performed free of charge. Vehicles equipped with six-cylinder engines are not affected. Additional Journey and Freemont populations also are subject to this campaign. They comprise an estimated 43,679 vehicles in Canada; 46,231 in Mexico; and 115,405 outside the NAFTA region. Of the 349,731 total vehicles subject to this campaign, approximately 10 percent remain in dealer hands.

Stellantis announces ‘Circular Economy’ business to drive revenue, decarbonization

Stellantis has already announced its plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2038. Today, the automaker has announced a new business unit to help it reach that goal while generating 2 billion euros per year in revenue by 2030. The “Circular Economy” business will help make revenue less dependent on finite, rare and ecologically problematic materials. The Circular Economy model features what Stellantis calls a “4R” strategy, comprising remanufacturing, repair, reuse and recycling. The goal is to make materials last as long as they can, reducing reliance on the acquisition of those precious new materials in the future by returning them to the business loop when theyÂ’ve reached the end of their first life. Through these processes, Stellantis says it can save up to 80% raw material and 50% energy compared to manufacturing a new part. Remanufacturing, or “reman” in Stellantis shorthand, means dismantling, cleaning and rebuilding parts to OEM spec. Nearly 12,000 remanufactured parts are available for customers to purchase. Some remanufacturing is done in-house, and some with partners and through joint ventures. Repair is pretty obvious — fixing parts to put back into vehicles. This also consists of reconditioning, to make a vehicle feel like new. Stellantis boasts 21 “e-repair” centers for repairing electric vehicle batteries.  Reuse refers to parts still in good condition from end-of-life vehicles sold as-is. Stellantis says it has 4.5 million multi-brand parts in inventory. These are sold in 155 countries through the B-Parts e-commerce platform. Reuse also refers second-life options, such as using batteries outside of automotive purposes. Recycling involves dismantling parts and scraps back into raw material form that is then looped back into the manufacturing process. Stellantis says it has collected 1 million parts for recycling in the past six months. Recycling doesnÂ’t get counted in that aforementioned 2 billion euros of revenue, but it does save the company money on acquisition of raw materials. As for batteries, specifically, Stellantis expects this recycling business to ramp up after 2030, when the packs currently in service begin to reach the end of their lifecycle. Stellantis will use its new “SUSTAINera” label to denote parts that are offered as part of its Circular Economy business.

Total auto recalls already on record pace in 2014

If you've noticed that there have been more recalls than usual this year, you may be on to something. According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US market is on pace to break a record for recalls. In 2013, 22 million cars were recalled. We're only a third of the way through 2014, though, and we've already halved that figure, with 11 million units recalled. That's wild.
Considering the past few months, it shouldn't be a surprise that General Motors is leading the charge, with six million of the 11 million units recalled coming from one of the General's four brands. Between truck recalls, CUV recalls and the ignition switch recall, 2014 hasn't been a great year for GM.
Other recall leaders include Nissan (one million Sentra and Altima sedans), Honda (900,000 Odyssey minivans), Toyota (over one million units in a few recalls), Volkswagen (150,000 Passat sedans), Chrysler (644,000 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs) and most recently, Ford (434,000 units, the bulk of which were early Ford Escape CUVs). So while it's been a bad year for GM so far, its competitors aren't doing too well, either.