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Chrysler recalling nearly 141k vehicles over electrical woes

Software glitches that randomly illuminate warning lights and cause instrument cluster blackouts are forcing Chrysler to recall 140,800 vehicles, The Detroit News reports. The automaker is recalling 132,000 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokees, 91,559 of which are in the US. In addition to the Jeep recalls, Chrysler is adding 10,800 2014 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks to the list for similar problems.
Chrysler reportedly says, "Both events occurred infrequently and appeared to resolve themselves by tuning the vehicle's ignition off and then on."
Engineers discovered a problem with the anti-lock-braking system software that causes the instrument cluster display of the Grand Cherokee to illuminate warning lights and black out - even its ABS and electronic stability control systems are affected. To fix the Jeeps, Chrysler will update the vehicle's software.

Feds chastise Marchionne over Jeep recall, only 13% repaired so far

Following the significant outcry surrounding the General Motors and Takata airbag safety crises this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seems to be taking a much more aggressive role in pushing owners to repair their recalled vehicles. In the agency's latest move, it's urging Jeep drivers to get their models fixed. Acting NHTSA administrator David Friedman even sent a letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne pressing him to get more of the SUVs fixed. The problem goes back to the recall of the 2002-2007 Liberty and 1993-1998 Grand Cherokee because of the possibility for the fuel tank to rupture in some rear crashes. The campaign affected over 1.5 million vehicles, but Chrysler initially refused NHTSA's request for a repair campaign. The automaker eventually came up with a fix that involved adding a trailer hitch to provide extra protection to the tank. The feds believe the danger "will be reduced by the remedy now offered by Chrysler," according to the statement. However, this latest push comes out of NHTSA's concern that only three percent of the affected vehicles are repaired, although Chrysler maintains some 13.4 percent have actually been fixed. The agency is asking the automaker to reach out to owners "proactively," and get them to bring the Jeeps in dealers. According to the the feds' statement, the company "has nearly 400,000 parts available" to perform the fixes, and it's still producing more. Friedman's letter to Marchionne goes even further, alleging NHTSA has received reports that dealers are turning customers away who request the recall. He asks the CEO to prove within 15 days that these claims are false. "Given the low rates of repair that Chrysler has reported more than a year after the recall, significantly more aggressive steps are required," says a portion of the note. According to The Detroit News, Chrysler has subsequently promised to speed up the recall work, vowing that all dealers will have at least 12 repair kits in stock by Monday. Further, it has announced plans to ramp up its notification campaign with Facebook ads and public service announcements. Scroll down to read NHTSA's full statement on the matter, and Friedman's letter to Marchionne can be read in PDF format, here.

You probably won't see FCA's famous Easter eggs on an Alfa Romeo

They started in Jeeps, with images of seven-slot grilles showing up on windshield edges, the text "SINCE 1941" appearing in the clear plastic of headlight units, and a relief map of Moab engraved into a rubber cubby liner. Then a Chrysler got a map of Detroit and the outline of Laguna Seca materialized near the Viper's window switch. We've come to call them Easter eggs, but Klaus Busse points out that they were never really meant to be secrets, just ways to dress up what he calls "dead plastic." He's nevertheless cool with the phrase being applied and likes the enthusiastic response these design details get. Busse is intimately familiar with many of them, having signed off on many of them in his time as head interior designer for FCA's US operations. He recently moved to Europe to lead Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Fiat design there, so when I caught up with him next to the new Stelvio crossover at the Alfa stand in LA, I had to ask: Are we going to see any of those neat design details in Alfas or Maseratis anytime soon? The short answer is no. But he didn't say it's out of the question. Busse said if, for example, a designer wanted to put an Italian phrase somewhere on a car that was in keeping with the brand, he would allow it. Although he didn't come out and say it, it seems like he might feel this type of fun design element isn't necessarily appropriate for a higher-end brand like Alfa. And I get that. But I'm still going to check all the compartments of that new Alfa crossover for a map of the Stelvio Pass. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: LA 2016 View 11 Photos Design/Style LA Auto Show Alfa Romeo Jeep 2016 LA Auto Show easter egg