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California Highway Patrol powers up with Charger Pursuits

Residents of California, you'll want to adjust your rear-view mirrors and remain vigilant for the menacing maw of the Dodge Charger. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) ordered 580 Dodge Charger Pursuit cars to start replacing the organization's oldest vehicles. According to the CHP's director of communications, Fran Clader, these old cars are patrol versions of the Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Explorer and Dodge Charger. The cars will be delivered over the next two years with the majority equipped with Fiat Chrysler's 3.6-liter V6 engine. The unit makes 292 horsepower in the Charger and is found in everything from the Jeep Wrangler to the Chrysler 200. There will be a handful of Chargers with the 5.7-liter V8 found in the Charger R/T, but Dodge and Clader said they will just be used for training. Bick Pratt, head of FCA US government sales and operations, said the order represents a move back toward four-door police cars. "The CHP is ordering our Charger Pursuit vehicle to reintroduce the sedan into their patrol vehicle fleet," Pratt said. "That's important to us because it reflects a shift back to sedans by a progressive agency like the CHP." Chargers may show up in local law enforcement fleets. Pratt said departments will have the opportunity to also order Charger Pursuits through the CHP's contract. So wherever you are in California, if you see that famous crosshair grille in your rear-view mirror, be ready to pull over. Related video:

Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat gets 22 mpg

With its crazy 707 horsepower on tap and roughly $60,000 starting price, the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has been one of the most talked about cars of the summer, maybe even the year. However, there's always been one lingering question about the behemoth that Dodge has waited to answer until now - its fuel economy. The EPA ratings for the muscle car are finally out, and the numbers are actually pretty impressive for a vehicle with this much power.
A 2015 Challenger Hellcat with the eight-speed automatic is rated at 22 miles per gallon highway, 13 mpg city and 16 mpg combined. Opting for the six-speed manual drops those figures to 21 mpg highway, 13 mpg city and 16 mpg combined.
"As the fastest muscle car ever, the Challenger Hellcat can run 10-second ETs [elapsed times] at the track, and then get 22 miles per gallon on the drive home. With a starting price of $59,995, there's nothing else that even comes close," said Dodge and SRT President Tim Kuniskis in the company's release.

FCA recalls 894k total vehicles worldwide in two campaigns

FCA is recalling a total of 893,698 vehicles worldwide in two campaigns to fix problems with inadvertent airbag deployment, failure of the anti-lock brakes, and stability control systems in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Liberty, Dodge Journey, and Fiat Freemont. 559,703 of these vehicles are in the US. The larger recall affects 284,089 examples of the 2003 Jeep Liberty and 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and there are also 13,411 of them in Canada, 6,277 in Mexico, and 48,212 outside the NAFTA region. Because of "electrical noise beyond the tolerance of the airbag electronic control module", part of that component can fail, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This can cause the front and side airbags to deploy and the seatbelt pre-tensioners to activate inadvertently. FCA US has seven reports of alleged injuries from this problem. To fix the situation, the Jeeps need their Occupant Restraint Control modules replaced, as well as the front- and side-impact sensors. According to the NHTSA, the replacement parts won't be available until early 2016. Still, FCA US will advise owners about the problem in a letter by the end of December and will send a second notification when the components are ready. The second campaign affects 275,614 examples of the 2012-2015 Dodge Journey in the US; plus 78,148 of them in Canada, 36,471 in Mexico, and 151,476 left-hand drive units outside of NAFTA where it's sold as the Fiat Freemont. On these vehicles, water intrusion can disable the anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control, although a warning light often illuminates when this issue occurs, and the problem doesn't affect regular braking. There are also no reports of injuries or accidents. To fix the issue, dealers will seal the ABS wiring harness and will replace any already affected components as necessary, like the ABS module or the headlamp and dashboard wiring harness. Statement: Occupant Restraint Control Modules October 30, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 284,089 older-model SUVs in the U.S. to replace their Occupant Restraint Control (ORC) modules and front and/or side-impact sensors, as required. Within this vehicle population, FCA US became aware of seven injuries caused by inadvertent air-bag deployments and advised NHTSA accordingly. The affected vehicles are not equipped with Takata Corp. air-bags. The Company is unaware of any related accidents.