Posts Tagged ‘Dodge’
Chrysler Recalls Vehicles With Risky Brakes
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Chrysler Group is recalling about 24,000 late-model Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles to fix a defective part that could cause sudden, unexpected brake failure.
The recall applies to some 2010 model year Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger sedans; Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee SUVs; and 2009 and 2010 model year Ram trucks.
Some of these vehicles could have an improperly formed brake booster rod retaining clip, and some Ram trucks may have been built without the piece. The part is necessary for consistent and proper functioning of the brakes.
Chrysler is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem, according a document Chrysler filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The problem was initially discovered by Chrysler factory workers, according to the document.
In one case, a worker at Chrysler’s Saltillo plant in Mexico, where Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks are assembled, experienced a complete loss of brake power while testing a vehicle. (The recall applies to all Ram truck models, not just Heavy Duty.)
A few weeks earlier, a worker at the Toledo North Assembly Plant, where the Dodge Nitro and Jeep Liberty are assembled, had noticed a malformed clip.
“The quality control systems in place caught the issue early,” Chrysler Group said in a statement. “All affected assembly plants held vehicle inventory and inspected for and replaced the clips as necessary.”
Owners of these vehicles can contact NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or Chrysler at 800-853-1403.
Tags: Avenger, Brakes, Chrysler, Chrysler Brake Recall, Chrysler Group, Dodge, Dodge Nitro, Grand Cherokee, Jeep, Jeep Commander, Jeep Liberty, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Ram trucks, recall, Sebring
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Chrysler Bans Employees From Texting
Monday, December 21st, 2009
If your fleet does not have a policy regarding texting behind the wheel, perhaps this story will motivate you.
Chrysler Group LLC has announced the establishment of a corporate policy surrounding company-owned vehicles and communication devices. Effectively immediately, all company employees are prohibited from texting while driving in company-owned vehicles and texting with company-provided communication devices while driving personal vehicles.
“A driver’s primary responsibility is to be in control of their vehicle; texting while driving clearly interferes with that responsibility,” said Steve Bartoli, head of Regulatory Affairs. “Chrysler Group LLC supports initiatives to ban this activity. Additionally, we stand with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers supporting a ban on hand-held cell phone operation while driving.”
The automaker currently offers a hands-free, voice-activated U-Connect system with Bluetooth technology. The feature, available on most Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles, provides voice-controlled wireless communication between the occupants’ compatible mobile phones and the vehicle’s onboard receiver. U-Connect can manage onboard phone-book entries, select radio stations, access the navigation system, and retrieve voice mail.
Recently, the Chrysler Group announced it will offer text-to-voice/message reader technology in select 2011 model year Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles.
Photo courtesy of JSNSDR under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Chrysler, Chrysler Group LLC, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, txting, txting driving, U-Connect
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Personal Use of Fleet Vehicles Costs Arizona Agency $65,000+
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
The Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services’ (SEABHS) fleet has seen unusually high operating and maintenance costs due to the fact that the agency’s employees treat their work vehicles as personal cars, according to the San Pedro Valley News-Sun.
Mercelino Varona, a new member to the board, said not one of the company vehicles is labeled “for company use only” or has the SEABHS logo.
The SEABHS vehicle fleet is costing the agency more than $650,000 a year for maintenance and purchases, reported the Sun. Records show fuel costs last year for SEABHS were $293,923. In addition, SEABHS records outlining the car purchases revealed 26 were bought at a discount through the Arizona Department of Transportation. The rest of the cars were purchased directly from car lots.
Board members criticized the fact that SEABHS has 119 vehicles, including cars and transportation vans – more than the entire City of Nogales, reported the Sun. Vehicles include a Dodge Ram, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Dakota, Chevy Uplander, and Dodge Caravan, ranging from 1998 to 2008 model-years, but are mostly 2004 or newer.
Photo courtesy of byrdiegyrl under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: ADOT, Arizona Department of Transportation, Chevy Uplander, Dodge, Dodge caravan, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Ram, Jeep Liberty, San Pedro Valley News-Sun, SEABHS, Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services
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Used Trucks and SUVs Continue Rebound
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Almost every one of the most popular used trucks and SUVs on AutoTrader.com saw double-digit percentage price increases in October. The most improved vehicle was the Chevrolet Tahoe, which was up 27 percent from last year. The Dodge Ram 1500 and Ford F-150 also had price increases of over 20 percent since October 2008.
Similar trends emerged in the new vehicle market, with most truck and SUV models showing single digit increases. However, the F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado had 20 and 14 percent increases respectively.
“There continues to be renewed interest in these larger vehicles from consumers who need these vehicles for their work, because they have large families or some other true utility reason,” said Chip Perry, president of AutoTrader.com.
“In the past two years, record gas prices and a challenged economy caused many of these people to put off purchase of a new or used truck or SUV,” he explained.
“But for car buyers who really need large vehicles, they can only put off the purchase for so long,” Perry continued. “This rising demand coupled with low inventories could lead to continued price increases on these vehicles over the coming months.”
In a month where AutoTrader.com continued to witness an increase in views on the site over last year, the company had 13.6 million unique monthly visitors, up 6 percent from 12.9 million in October 2008.
“Consumers tell us over and over that the Internet is the number one medium from which they get information about vehicles and find dealers they want to do business with.” Perry remarked.
Photo courtesy of fdtate under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: AutoTrader.com, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Tahoe, Dodge, Dodge Ram, F-150, Ford, Silverado
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Dodge Brand Restructured
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
On October 5th, Chrysler Group LLC announced some brand and commercial changes to the Dodge brand of vehicles.
According to Dodge’s press release, the new Dodge will be split into two organizations: the Dodge Ram Brand and Dodge Car Brand. “This reorganization will allow us to protect and develop the unique nature of the product offerings within the Dodge Brand,” Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Chrysler Group LLC said.
Fred Diaz Jr. has been appointed president and CEO of the Dodge Ram Brand with profit and loss responsibility for the Dodge Ram product portfolio.
Ralph Gilles will now serve as president and CEO of Dodge Car Brand with profit and loss responsibility for the Dodge Car product portfolio.
Photo courtesy of Dodge.
Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Group LLC, Dodge, Dodge Ram
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Chrysler Fleet Incentives for 2010 Models
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Chrysler has announced that it will be offering fleet incentives on several 2010 Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles for the 2010 model year. Incentives range from $500 to $3,000.
2010 Fleet Incentives:
- Charger (Including AWD, excluding SRT models) – $2,000
- Chrysler 300 (Including AWD, excluding SRT models) – $2,000
- Chrysler PT Cruiser – $2,000
- Chrysler Sebring Convertible – $2,000
- Chrysler Sebring Sedan – $2,000
- Chrysler Town & Country – $2,000
- Dodge Avenger Sedan – $2,000
- Dodge Caliber (Excluding SRT Models) – $1,000
- Dodge Dakota – $3,500
- Dodge Grand Caravan (Including CV) – $2,000
- Dodge Journey – $1,500
- Dodge Nitro – $2,000
- Dodge Ram 1500 Regular/Quad/Crew Cab – $2,000
- Dodge Ram 2500/3500 Regular/Quad/Mega Cab – $1,000
- Dodge Ram 3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab – $3,000
- Jeep Commander – $3,000
- Jeep Compass – $1,500
- Jeep Grand Cherokee 4×2, 4×4 – $3,000
- Jeep Liberty 4×2, 4×4 – $2,000
- Jeep Patriot – $1,500
- Jeep Wrangler Base & Sahara 4×2, 4×4 – $1,000
- Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4×2, 4×4 – $500
For further details and eligibility requirements, contact your local Chrysler dealer or call (800) 999-FLEET.
Tags: Avenger, Caliber, Chrysler, Dakota, Dealer Incentives, Dodge, Jeep, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Wrangler, PT Cruiser, Sebring, Town & Country
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Chrysler to Resume Leasing
Friday, September 18th, 2009
After a hiatus of more than a year, Chrysler is ready to resume leasing vehicles starting with the 2010 model year.
“We are pleased to re-enter the leasing market so we can offer customers the opportunity to lease vehicles at rates competitive with the marketplace,” said Peter Fong, head of sales and chief executive of the Chrysler car brand. “Our ability to offer additional financing options will benefit consumers who have long been fans of leasing and appreciate the flexibility this financing option gives them.”
Chrysler Financial stopped offering leases in August 2008 due to tight credit markets and heavy losses on existing SUV leases caused by a decline in popularity. The increased difficulty of leasing cars led to lower sales for Chrysler. Leasing is a popular method of acquiring a vehicle because it allows consumers to make lower monthly payments despite being less cost-effective in the long term.
Leasing was never a huge part of Chrysler’s business, but generally made up 10% to 15% of the company’s sales, said Jesse Toprak, a sales analyst for the auto pricing site Truecar.com.
“We have seen some of those customers go to other manufacturers because of Chrysler not offering leasing,” he said.
Former GM financing arm GMAC Financing Services will now be handling leasing services for Chrysler. GM has also just recently begun offering leasing after dropping out last year for practical purposes during its bankruptcy.
Leasing will be available on all 2010 Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles.
Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Financial, Dodge, GM, GMAC, Jeep, Leasing, Truecar.com
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Minivans Rule Used-Vehicle Market for May
Monday, June 8th, 2009
Their affordability and utility are not just for moms
Sales within the used-vehicle market flattened out through May with car values depreciating 0.8 percent overall. Just five of Kelley Blue Book’s 20 segments continued to appreciate. Among them, minivans were the biggest gainer at 2 percent appreciation, according to Vehicleremarket.com.
It was reported that Kelley Blue Book expects sales on hybrid vehicles, subcompacts, and compact crossovers to peak or depreciate in coming months.
Strong mid-size and full-size Fords such as the Fusion and Five-Hundred contributed to a 0.1 percent segment gain.
Full-size Fords performed well, however, the Chrysler 300 dropped 4.5 percent and the Pontiac G8 sank 4.0 percent, slightly dragging the category down 1.0 percent.
Truck segments appeared stable with pickup trucks sales flat, crossovers down 0.8 percent, SUVs increased 0.6 percent, and vans up 0.9 percent.
The mid- and full-size SUV segment was up .4 and 1.7 percent in May, respectively.
Crossover values dropped 0.8 percent because of declines in its compact, luxury, and hybrid lines.
Minivans improved 2 percent, which was more than any other segment during May. The article summed up the sales lift by saying “The relative affordability and utility offered by minivans are the main drivers providing lift in this segment…and it is difficult to beat the value offered by minivans, especially when cross shopping against more expensive crossovers and SUVs.”
Top minivans performers were the Dodge Caravan, Chevrolet Uplander, and Nissan Quest.
Check out the value of your fleet vehicles at Kelley Blue Book
Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Uplander, Chrysler, Chrysler 300, Dodge, Dodge caravan, Ford, Ford Five-hundred, Ford Fusion, hybrid, Kelley Blue Book, Minivan, Nissan, Nissan Quest, Pontiac, Pontiac G8, subcompacts, SUV, used-vehicle, vehicleremarket.com
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