Chrysler Caves in to NHTSA Demands and Issues Recall for Fire Risk on Jeeps

So much for the Chrysler Group's tough stance against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after the agency recommended the recall of some 2.7 million Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty because the rear-mounted fuel tanks performed poorly in rear-end collisions.

On June 4, the Detroit carmaker issued a statement, in which it said: "The company [Chrysler Group] does not agree with NHTSA’s conclusions and does not intend to recall the vehicles cited in the investigation. The subject vehicles are safe and are not defective."

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Chrysler Group Rejects NHTSA's Recall Request for Jeep Models – Who Would You Trust?

Most of the times, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and automakers work together and agree upon a recall when there's a problem or at least the potential for an issue with a car, but it isn't always like this.

Recently, the NHTSA issued a recommendation for the recall of around 2.7 million Jeep SUVs, including the 1993-2004 model-year Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Liberty, after assessing that the fuel tanks in these models pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear-impact collisions.

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Jeep Reintroduces Patriot Freedom Edition Model for Memorial Day

You probably noticed that we were in cruising mode on Monday due to the celebration of Memorial Day, a day when the U.S. remembers its soldiers that died on the battlefields.

Since Jeep is a brand that shares a special connection with the U.S. Army, the carmaker decided to honor Memorial Day by announcing the reintroduction of a special 2014 Jeep Patriot Freedom Edition.

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2014 Jeep Cherokee Officially Revealed, Let the Face Naming Begin…

After someone sneaked out a few pictures of the new 2014 Cherokee from Jeep's factory and unloaded them earlier today on Jalopnik, Jeep thought that it might be a good idea to release a shinier set of professionally edited and produced images to show us its new mid-size SUV at its best.

If anything else, the new 2014 Cherokee that replaces the Liberty in North America and its namesake in other parts of the world, needs to look its best with that - how shall we put it delicately, awkward looking face, which we don't know if it reminds us more of a modern-day Pontiac Aztec or a catfish with some serious indigestion problems...

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Move Your Face Over Juke, Here Comes the New 2014 Jeep Cherokee

Well Jeep, if its attention you want with your new SUV, you certainly got it, thanks to these photos published on Jalopnik.

From what we understand, a Jeep-factory insider held up his (or her) camera, took a multitude of shots of a brand new model, and quickly sent the pictures over to the site's crew, who are calling this the 2014 Cherokee. We're going to assume that they learned the name from their soon-to-get in trouble source.

It’s a strange looking crossover/SUV on the outside, especially up front, that's for sure, but the interior does have a more conventional styling.

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Jeep CEO Rules Out Italian-Built Small SUV Being a Rebadged Fiat, Still Undecided on Names

Platform sharing is a very common, and very cost-effective, practice these days. Company executives, however, fret when someone names their vehicle a “rebadge”, “re-skin” or something akin to that no matter how many parts it may actually share with a sister brand’s model.

Jeep President and CEO Mike Manley is one of those execs, despite the fact that the Fiat-Chrysler tie-up is mostly about sharing platforms, parts and expertise and minimizing costs and they practice it even at the group's luxury cars.

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Jeep CEO Confirms Diesel Grand Cherokee for Detroit, New Compass and Patriot in Q2 2013

There's a very good reason why in some markets, including the United Kingdom, SUVs like the Jeep Grand Cherokee are offered exclusively with diesel powerplants, and U.S. consumers will soon find that out firsthand.

At the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month, Jeep will reveal a diesel version of the Grand Cherokee, which will arrive in dealerships across the country at the end of the first quarter, the company's CEO Mike Manley told WardsAuto.

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Jeep Isn't the Only Object to get a Thorough Cleaning in this NSFW Car Wash…

From the "What will they think of next" department comes the following security camera footage that will make you either scratch your head in confusion or scream what the heck is wrong with some people.

The video shows a red-colored, older generation Jeep entering the car wash and then a couple coming out of the SUV.

What happens next, is well, let's just say the point where it gets twisted in a way you would have never expected.

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Jeep SUVs Recalled After Airbags Go Off By Themselves Injuring Passengers

Almost 745,000 Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee SUVs are being recalled in the United States following a preliminary investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that discovered a faulty component in the air bag control module caused airbags and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy without reason, injuring dozens of people.

According to a document from the NHTSA, the probe identified a total of 215 cases of inadvertent airbag deployments, in which 81 people suffered minor injuries. The government agency noted that it was not aware of any crashes related to this issue.

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Smugglers from Mexico Learn that the Jeep Cherokee is Trail Rated, not Border Fence Rated...

What will they think of next? A group of suspected smugglers attempted to cross the U.S. border on Tuesday using an older Jeep Cherokee and two makeshift ramps on either side of the 14-foot fence at California’s Imperial Sand Dunes.

Their "Trail Rated" plan, however, hit a snag, when the Jeep became stuck on the metal barrier. Border Patrol spokesman Spencer Tippets told KMOV News that the Cherokee was spotted tangling over the fence just after midnight.

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Sergio Marchionne and Obama's Campaign Rebuke Romney's Jeep to China Accusations

The battle for the 2012 U.S. elections has spilled over the automobile industry after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told an Ohio crowd last week that Jeep is planning to move all of its production to China, while also airing an ad that says Obama "sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China. Mitt Romney will fight for every American job."

The problem is that the Chrysler Group is not considering to relocate production from the U.S. to China, but instead is weighing its options to open new plants in China to meet increasing demand in the country.

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Jeep to Stop Building Liberty / Cherokee at Toledo Next Week to Prepare for New Fiat-Based SUV

It's the end of the line for the current generation of the Jeep Liberty, also known as the Cherokee in overseas markets, as according to a report from Reuters, the Chrysler Group will stop manufacturing the SUV at its Toledo North Assembly Plant next Thursday, August 16.

However, as the current Liberty comes to an end, Jeep will give birth to another model with the Chrysler Group to begin preparing the Toledo facility for its production.

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Watch Polish Drivers Try to get a Jeep Cherokee Out of Waist Deep Mud Water

The tallest snorkel and toughest wheels in the world won't do anything to help if you underestimate the depth of a body of water and what lies underneath, as was the case with these explorers that tried to cross a mud pond near the village of Siennica in Poland with their trail-rated, Jeep Grand Cherokee second generation Cherokee.

The video shows the Jeep model filled with water right up to the door handles and stuck in the mud.

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Jeep Preparing 3 New Models, Hopes to Boost European Sales Five-Fold

Jeep has set its sights on improving its sales volume in the European car market more than five-fold in the next three years through the introduction of three new models, the expansion of its dealer network and to a lesser extent, by completing a football (soccer) sponsorship deal, reports Autonews Europe.

In 2011, Jeep sold 23,745 units in Europe, up 62 percent from the previous year, while in the first four months of 2012, the Chrysler Group company delivered 9,807 units.

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NHTSA Upgrades and Expands Fuel-Tank Fire Probe of Jeep Models to 5.1 Million Units

A federal investigation regarding the fuel tank integrity of the 1993-2004MY Jeep Grand Cherokee has been upgrade to an Engineering Analysis and has also been expanded to include two more Jeep models, the 1993-2001MY Cherokee and the 2002-2007MY Liberty.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the data it collected during a preliminary evaluation indicates that rear-impact-related tank failures and vehicle fires are more prevalent in said Grand Cherokee models than in the non-Jeep peer vehicles.

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SCOOP: Alfa Romeo Test Mule Hides New Jeep Liberty's Underpinnings

For those of you wondering what an Alfa Romeo Giulietta prototype with a raised ride height, a bulkier shaped front end and Michigan manufacturer plates is doing in the States, the short answer is testing.

The more detailed answer is that the Chrysler Group's engineers are trying out the platform that will underpin the next generation of the Jeep Liberty or Cherokee for overseas markets.

Like the new Dodge Dart as well as the replacement for the Chrysler 200, the next Liberty will use the Chrysler Group's new Compact U.S. Wide (CUSW) platform, which itself is a longer and slightly wider version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta's chassis – hence the use of the Italian hatchback as a test mule.

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