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Certain Chrysler owners eligible for buyback program

Certain car owners whose Chrysler vehicles contain dangerous defects will soon have a way to get rid of their lemons without losing money. As part of an agreement with federal regulators, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has agreed to buy back more than 500,000 vehicles susceptible to veering out of control without warning at above market-value prices. The deal mainly covers certain models of RAM trucks, the Dodge Dakota pickup and Dodge Durango SUV. Further, owners of more than 1.5 million Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokees at heightened risk for lethal fires are eligible to trade in their vehicles at above market value or, alternately, get a gift certificate if they prefer to have repairs made. Chrysler has "a heavy responsibility to make sure the products they make are safe for the traveling public," said Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "... Here, we are sending an unambiguous signal to industry that if you skirt the laws or violate the law, or don't live up to the responsibility that consumers expect, we are going to penalize you." The buy-back and trade-in options for motorists come as part of an unprecedented penalty NHTSA slapped against Chrysler for violating federal motor-vehicle safety laws. Chrysler will pay a $105 million fine, the highest ever levied by the regulatory agency. In addition to the buy-backs, Chrysler also agreed to an independent monitor for three years. Investigators had outlined problems in the company's conduct in 23 recalls that affected more than 11 million defect vehicles. As part of a consent-order agreement, Chrysler acknowledged it did not notify vehicle owners of recalls in an effective manner and did not notify NHTSA of safety problems. Though those recalls affected millions of drivers, the buy-back and trade-in options are only for a small portion of the vehicles involved. Because Chrysler struggled to fix the problem and no repair was apparent, Rosekind said the buy-backs are reserved "for customers who didn't have a remedy." Buy-backs are for trucks and SUVs affected by three recalls that occurred in 2013 (recalls 13V-038, 13V-527 and 13V-529), that addressed a rear-axle pinion nut that could come loose and cause a loss of vehicle control. Those recalls covered 579,228 vehicles, including 2009-2012 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 trucks, 2009-2012 Dodge Dakotas, 2009 Chrysler Aspen and the 2009 Dodge Durango.

Four Wheeler crowns Ultimate Factory 4x4... who wins?

Nearly every automaker doing business in the SUV or pickup truck segments offers a package designed to improve the off-road capabilities of its wares. But, of course, not all such factory kits are created equal. How, then, to separate the wheat from the chaff? Gather each of them up and put them through their paces, naturally.
The folks from Four Wheeler and PickupTrucks.com joined forces to run just such a comparison test, with the winner named the Ultimate Factory 4x4. A total of seven vehicles showed up to the fight: the 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2012 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X and Xterra PRO-4X, 2012 Ram Power Wagon, and 2012 Toyota 4Runner Trail and Tacoma TRD T|X Baja Series.
With the contestants in place, the whole crew put each vehicle through a battery of tests that included skidpad and acceleration measurements, a hillclimb, a rocky stairstep course and a rock garden. Considering the nature of the beasts, on-road ride and comfort were not part of the routine.

FCA recalls Ram dualie chassis cabs to recalibrate top speed

If you're one of the 1,771 owners of a 2014-15 Ram 4500 or 5500 chassis cab with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 and a dualie rear axle, you may be hearing soon from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to bring your truck in to your local dealer. The reason, you ask? To have the speed limiter recalibrated. The problem, according to the statement below, is that while some of these trucks are electronically limited to 106 miles per hour, their tires can't safely maintain that speed. As a result, FCA is having dealers recalibrate the limiter to 87 mph. Of course, that's still well above the speed limit in most places, and "FCA believes it is unlikely that these trucks are operated at such speeds," but that it "is acting out of an abundance of caution." In addition to the 1,771 units in the United States, the company is recalling another 169 in Canada. In an unrelated campaign, FCA is also recalling a handful or two of 2015 Dodge Challengers – 72 in the US, six in Canada and three in Mexico – to secure a side-curtain airbag bolt that may have been improperly installed during assembly over the course of a ten-day period. In both cases, FCA says it is unaware of any complaints, accidents or injuries related to these issues. Statement: Speed Recalibration May 15, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 1,771 trucks in the U.S. to recalibrate their maximum speed. The dual-wheel trucks are currently restricted to a top speed of 106 miles per hour (mph), but an internal specification review revealed top speed should be set at 87 mph, in accordance with their factory-equipped tires. The Company is unaware of any related injuries, accidents or customer complaints. Dealers will recalibrate vehicle speed accordingly. While FCA believes it is unlikely that these trucks are operated at such speeds, and that doing so would exceed posted speed limits in nearly every applicable jurisdiction, the Company is acting out of an abundance of caution. The campaign is limited to certain model-year 2014-15 Ram 4500/5500 Chassis Cabs equipped with 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 engines. An additional 169 vehicles are believed to be in Canada. Affected customers will be advised when they may schedule service. Customers with questions may call the FCA US Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403. ### Statement: Bolt May 15, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 72 cars in the U.S.