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Fiat Chrysler to get $105M fine from NHTSA for recall woes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is about to send a powerful message to automakers doing business in the United States, assuming reports of an upcoming $105 million fine against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles comes to fruition. In addition to the record-setting monetary fine, according to The Wall Street Journal, FCA will have to accept an independent auditor that will monitor the company's recall and safety processes and will be forced to buy back certain recalled vehicles. In other cases, such as with Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty models with gas tanks that could potentially catch fire in certain types of accidents, FCA will offer financial encouragement for owners to get their recall work done or to trade those older vehicles in on new cars, according to the report. FCA could reportedly reduce its fines if it meets certain conditions, though those remain unclear at this time. These actions against FCA are being taken after NHTSA began a probe into the automaker over almost two dozen separate instances where the government claims FCA failed to follow proper procedures for recalls and safety defects. Included in those safety lapses are more than 11 million vehicles currently in customer hands. These penalties and fines are separate from the investigation over security problems with Chrysler's Uconnect system that allowed hackers to obtain remote access into key vehicle systems in 1.4 million vehicles. Related Video: Image Credit: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Recalls Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Safety fiat chrysler automobiles fine

270,000 Ram pickups in ‘salt belt’ recalled to fix sagging fuel tanks

Drive a Ram 1500? Maybe it's time to give your fuel tanks a look. FCA is issuing a voluntary recall of over 270,000 Ram 1500 pickups to prevent their fuel tanks from sagging. A corrosion-related problem, the issue can be identified either visually by looking at the undercarriage, or by listening to any scraping noises, as the brackets for the fuel tanks straps corrode and can cause the tanks to hang low. FCA says in its statement that the recall is limited to 270,254 model year 2009-2012 Ram 1500 pickups that have been registered in states belonging to what is called the "salt belt," that is, the District of Columbia and the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Some 27,000 trucks will also be recalled in Canada, a thousand in Mexico and some 5,300 others. The tanks themselves are made of high-density polyethylene, and as such do not rust out: The problem is related to their fixings. The tanks won't be detached, as if a bracket fails, the remaining structural components will still hold the tanks. FCA also says no related incidents or injuries have been reported, nor have there been any fires — but the brackets are definitely worth getting fixed. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

FCA spends $1.5 billion to retool plant for Ram production

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is planning to invest $1.48 billion to retool its Sterling Heights Assembly plant in metro Detroit to build the next generation of the Ram 1500. The investment will allow the assembly plant to go from unibody to body-on-frame construction. FCA also confirmed that production of the Chrysler 200 will end in December in order for the plant to be altered. As previously reported, FCA is looking to move production of the 1500 from its current assembly plant in Warren to the Sterling Heights Assembly plant (both are in Michigan). While FCA has not released any official plans for the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, Automotive News reports that the plant will be retooled to manufacture the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs. Earlier this month, FCA announced plans to invest $1.05 billion to retool the Jeep Wrangler factory. FCA's current investment plans are part of the automaker's push to put competitive products on the road. Related Video: News Source: FCA, Automotive NewsImage Credit: FCA Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Jeep RAM SUV Sedan