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2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Quick Spin

Jeep won't come out and say it, but the 2017 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk exists to bloody the nose of the Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. America's off-road brand hasn't built a wheeling-specific version of its Grand Cherokee flagship in years, and the last GC Trailhawk was mostly stickers and tires. It was time for a true trail-spec Grand Cherokee again. We took a quick spin (two of them, actually) in the latest Trailhawk model, which joins Renegades and Cherokees with the same badge and off-road bent for 2017. Our time was limited, and so were our initial findings. After driving on and off pavement at Fiat Chrysler's proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan, we can tell you that on the road, this Grand Cherokee has the same refined driving dynamics as any other. As for off-roading, the capability is still somewhat of an open question. Driving Notes The suspension and off-road system tuning are what really set the Trailhawk apart from other Grand Cherokees. Jeep tweaked the four-corner Quadra-Lift air suspension to improve articulation and suspension travel, while retaining the 10.8 inches of ground clearance of lesser Quadra-Lift Grand Cherokees. Paired with the standard Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system, rear electronic limited-slip diff, and 20-inch Goodyear Adventure off-road tires, the Trailhawk is not short on capability (at least on paper). Unfortunately, paper is almost where this stops. The Trailhawks we drove were pre-production models with unfinished software calibrations. The throttle on the 3.6-liter V6 Trailhawk we took on the off-road course was super touchy and hard to modulate, regardless of which Selec-Terrain off-road mode was selected. Without a reliable throttle, we were bounding over obstacles instead of negotiating them patiently. This was back in June, and Jeep's PR reps assured us at the time that the engineers knew about the oversensitive throttle and have since confirmed that the issue has been fixed for production models, which are rolling off the line in Detroit now. We're planning to get into one of those vehicles as soon as one becomes available for a full review. Like the standard model, the Trailhawk's air suspension offers more comfort than the double-wishbone front and four-link rear suspension on the 4Runner.

Chrysler recalling over 200k vehicles across its brands

With more than 200,000 units across six separate recalls and almost all of its brands, it appears that Chrysler has officially jumped headfirst into the recall pool this month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued three official recalls for the automaker, and The Detroit News is reporting that the automaker itself has announced three more.
The biggest of the recalls applies to about 120,000 Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger and Chrysler 300 models for 2011 and 2012 due to faulty wiring harnesses for the seat-mounted side airbags, which could lead to these airbags not deploying in the event of a crash. A little more than 60,000 two-wheel-drive versions of the 2007-2008 Dodge Nitro and 2008 Jeep Liberty SUVs are being recalled due to a heat shield that could cause the driveshaft to break, which if that isn't bad on its own, could then hit underneath where the airbag sensor is mounted, causing the airbags to deploy. Wrapping up NHTSA's recall notices, about 20,000 Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass models for 2012 are also being recalled due to a problem with the fuel tank transfer tube that could lead to the vehicle stalling. The LX car recall campaign is going into effect this month, while the other two will start next month - all three notices are posted below.
In addition to the official NHTSA recalls, The Detroit News is also reporting that Chrysler is recalling more than 16,000 Ram trucks and a small number of Dodge Dart sedans. Around 6,500 2013 Ram 1500 trucks will be recalled due to an improper adjustment of the parking brake cable from the factory, while 7,000 Cummins-powered 2013 Ram Heavy Duty trucks are being recalled due to an engine cover that does not have as much heat resistance as it is supposed to. Finally, a total of 46 Dodge Dart sedans are being recalled due to a problem with the brake calipers and/or parking brake.

Fiat Chrysler wins top Total Quality Award for first time

The Strategic Vision Total Quality Awards are 20 years old in 2015, and Chrysler has never topped the awards before. Until now, that is. Fiat Chrysler takes the overall award on the corporate level with six segment leaders from Fiat, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram. The Fiat 500 won Small Multi-Function Car, the 500e won Small Alternative Powertrain, the Dodge Challenger tied at the top in the Specialty Coupe category alongside the very un-coupe Mini Cooper Countryman, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited took the Entry SUV category, the Dodge Durango won in Mid-Size SUV, and Ram took the overall in Best Non-Luxury Brand. The accolade means FCA has gone from one segment winner in 2010 to overall victory in five years. Cars have gotten so good, says Strategic Vision, that it is harder than ever to win. In fact, says the group, 18 years ago 85 percent of all vehicle brands had more than half a problem per vehicle. This year, no brand has more than half a problem per vehicle. The organization measures "over 155 specific aspects of the customer's experience," and scores are based on input from more than 46,000 customers. Other notables in and near the winner's circle include Volkswagen and General Motors, who tied for second place on the corporate scale, one point behind FCA. The Mini Cooper Roadster scored the highest of any model, the Corvette Stingray Convertible and Coupe scored the second- and third-highest. The Chevrolet Colorado is the first domestic Standard Pickup winner in more than ten years, and the Nissan Titan carried the Full-Size Pickup category. The press release below has all the details on how winners and losers are selected, and the full list of automakers and how they finished. "The Customer's 'Total' Experience Defines Quality, Fiat Chrysler Scores Highest in Total Quality," says Strategic Vision The 2015 Total Quality Awards® SAN DIEGO, Friday, July 17, 2015 — Unknown to many, when some consumer research firms rank a car company's quality performance they often do so by simply "counting problems." In the past, this may have been acceptable, but in today's modern and efficient manufacturing world the difference between the worst brand and best brand is LESS than half-a-problem per vehicle. Thus, any "quality ranking" based on this method is severely lacking in the complete picture of the "Total" Quality experience that customers actually use to judge their product ownership.