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Georgia judge slashes verdict to $40M in Jeep fire case

A judge in Georgia has drastically reduced the damages that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will have to pay to the family of Remington Walden, who a court said died as a result of the unsafe design of one of its vehicles. While the jury originally awarded the family $150 million at FCA's expense, Judge J. Kevin Chason cut that amount to $40 million, the Detroit News reported. The automaker may still appeal the verdict. The case dates to March 2012, when a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee in which four-year-old Walden was riding was rear-ended by another vehicle. Due to what the jury ruled was an unsafe fuel tank, a fire erupted, and Walden died in the fire. The family's lawyers successfully argued that the automaker knew there was a problem and didn't take sufficient action to address the issue, while FCA countered that its vehicles met the applicable safety standards when they were built. The jury found FCA 99 percent responsible for the fire and Walden's death, reserving the final one percent for the driver who caused the crash. The court awarded the Waldens $150 million in damages to be paid by the automaker: $120 million for wrongful death, and a further $30 million for pain and suffering. FCA, however, argued that the damages were disproportionate to the incident, noting that the $120 million was 11 times higher and the $30 million four times higher than any comparable awards upheld on appeal in the state. Chason agreed and cut the penalties extensively. The Walden family has reportedly accepted the reduced verdict. But according to the News, company spokesman Michael Palese said, "The reduction in the damage awards does not cure the many errors that tainted this verdict and denied FCA US a fair trial. We are considering our legal options." News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Jeep Government/Legal Recalls Jeep lawsuit court

Canadians build Jeep Wrangler out of cans for charity

The Jeep Wrangler can do a lot of things. It can traverse most any terrain, take you to work, the kids to school, get you and your friends to the surf on time, and so on. Turns out it can also feed the hungry – or at least this one can. And by can, we mean actual cans of food. To celebrate Canada Day (which was Wednesday), Jeep recreated a Wrangler out of more than 4,500 cans of food. The project was undertaken together with Canstruction Inc, a charity that works to fight hunger and poverty, serve the community, and promote science, technology, engineering, and math. The full-scale replica took a team of teenagers a good 12 hours to build. It's being displayed at Vancouver's waterfront Canada Place during the festivities, after which it will be dismantled to provide 3,120 meals for the hungry through the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. This is the second such project we've seen FCA Canada undertake together with Canstruction. Last time it was a Dodge Grand Caravan created to celebrate the minivan's 30th anniversary. It was built out of 30,000 cans and displayed in downtown Toronto before being distributed as 2,000 food baskets through the Daily Bread Food Bank. Next time maybe we'll see a Viper or Challenger made out of cans on display in Montreal during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend and donated to the Old Brewery Mission, which this writer knows first-hand does good work to feed Montrealers in need. Related Video: JEEP® AND THE FCA FOUNDATION CELEBRATE CANADA DAY WITH LIFE-SIZE 'CANSTRUCTION®' OF JEEP® WRANGLER FOR CHARITY - Full-scale Jeep® Wrangler built from over 4,500 cans of food will provide more than 3,120 meals to Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society - Vehicle built by local students 12-18 years of age - Jeep and the FCA Foundation again partnered with Canstruction® Inc. for the build, an international non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness for hunger and poverty, along with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) principals, plus community service - Public can stop by Canada Place on Canada Day to take a #JeepCANselfie in the vehicle - In 2014, FCA Canada was the top-selling automaker in B.C., a title it's retained thus far in 2015 - Jeep Wrangler is B.C.'s best-selling small SUV by more than double its closest competitor July 1, 2015 , Vancouver, B.C.

Chrysler recalls 350k vehicles over ignition switches

Chrysler has announced a recall covering 349,442 vehicles due to ignition switches that can either become stuck or move without warning. All of the affected vehicles are from the 2008 model year, and were built before May 12, 2008.
The automaker has learned that ignition keys on some vehicles "may not fully return to the 'ON' position after rotation to the 'START' position during engine-startup," the company said in a statement. Additionally, "an ignition key may not fully return to the 'ON' position after rotation to the 'START' position and may inadvertently move through the 'ON' position to 'ACCESSORY' or 'OFF.'"
Chrysler says it is unaware of any related injuries, and notes that while reduced braking, engine or steering power is possible in such instances, the airbags are not affected. The later stands in contrast to General Motors' recent rash of high-profile recalls, and it's an important distinction that Chrysler (understandably) felt necessary to call out in bold print in its press release.