Chrysler

Chrysler Group will recall more than 200,000 of its vehicles, including its Ram pickup truck,  Dodge Challengers and Chargers and Jeep Liberty and Patriots for a variety of problems. In the biggest recall, the automaker will inspect and fix about 120,000 Chrysler 300s, and Dodge Challenger and Chargers sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years because of an airbag problem. The wrong-sized crimps were used in building the airbag wiring harness, and that can can cause the airbag warning light to illuminate.

Chrysler Group will recall more than 200,000 of its vehicles, including its Ram pickup truck,  Dodge Challengers and Chargers and Jeep Liberty and Patriots for a variety of problems. In the biggest recall, the automaker will inspect and fix about 120,000 Chrysler 300s, and Dodge Challenger and Chargers sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years because of an airbag problem. The wrong-sized crimps were used in building the airbag wiring harness, and that can can cause the airbag warning light to illuminate.

2011 Chrysler 300 Base price: $27,995 (including destination charge) Price, as tested: $40,980 Powertrain: 3.6-liter DOHC, 24-valve V-6 with VVT; five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode Horsepower: 292 at 6,350 rpm Torque: 260 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm 0-60 acceleration: 7.2 seconds (according to Motor Trend magazine) Curb weight: 4,006 pounds Wheelbase: 120.2 inches Overall length: 198.6 inches EPA fuel economy: 18 mpg city/27 mpg highway Final thoughts: A serious full-size contender

March looks to have turned out to be one of the biggest months for auto sales in nearly six years. The industry sold almost 1.5 million vehicles in March, about 5% more than the same month a year earlier and likely the most since the 1.6 million sold in May 2007, according to automotive information company Edmunds.com. General Motors Co. said Tuesday that its U.S. sales rose more than 6% to 245,950 vehicles compared to the same month a year earlier, "thanks to a strengthening economy and new products,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations.  Ford Motor Co. said it sold 236,160 vehicles last month, a 6% rise from the same period a year earlier.

Chrysler has put bankruptcy behind it, but turmoil at the company continues. The troubled automaker on Monday replaced two top executives less than four months after promoting them and at the same time announced plans to split its Dodge brand in two, creating an all-truck Ram division. Although Chrysler said the departures of Peter Fong, formerly head of the Chrysler brand, and Michael Accavitti, who led Dodge, were voluntary, the moves raise questions about the focus of the company's business plan as it tries to rebuild.

The rescue of the American auto industry was Vice President Joe Biden's opening argument as he began making the case for the president's reelection here today. In remarks at a local United Auto Workers union hall, Biden hailed the "courageous" action Obama took to save American automakers General Motors and Chrysler - and hundreds of thousands of jobs with them. The approach favored by Republicans, Biden said, is "sort of a cautionary tale" for how they'd manage the economy at large.

General Motors Corp. and Chrysler said Tuesday that they needed nearly $22 billion more in government loans to avoid financial ruin, further darkening a day of global financial turmoil. The struggling Detroit automakers said in business plans submitted to the Treasury Department that they needed a total of $39 billion in taxpayer-funded loans by 2012 -- and perhaps billions more in following years -- to help them survive plunging auto sales amid the global recession.

Chrysler is recalling some model year 2003 and 2004 Dodge Viper sports cars because of an air bag defect that may cause them to deploy unexpectedly while driving. The Dodge Vipers were manufactured from Nov. 1, 2001, through June 30, 2004. The recall involves more than 3,600 cars. Chrysler says that a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags to deploy inadvertently while the car is being driven. The same problem may also activate the car's seat belt pretensioners.

After an abusive affair with Germany's Daimler ending in 2007 and a dysfunctional relationship with former owner Cerberus Capital Management that ended with the company in bankruptcy Thursday, can Chrysler learn to love again?

Stock prices mostly held steady Thursday despite a bankruptcy filing by a major carmaker, allowing the Standard & Poor's 500 index to post its biggest monthly gain in nine years. The S&P 500 index, considered the most reliable measure of the broader market, soared 9.4% in April, its best performance since March 2000, the peak of the dot-com bubble. The S&P's 19% gain since the end of February is its best two-month rise since 1975. The Dow Jones industrial average shot up 7.

The Chrysler Group has announced that it is recalling 4,459 model-year 2013 Dodge Challengers because of a hazard that could cause a fire. The problem could cause a wire harness to overheat or short circuit and possibly cause a fire.  The company said it was aware of seven such incidents. So far, none have resulted in injuries. The recall affects only 2013 Dodge Challengers with V-6 engines built during an eight-week period ending Jan. 24, 2013. About 2,500 of the cars have been sold.

A Washington bankruptcy expert who represented Chrysler during its successful restructuring was named as the state-appointed emergency financial manager charged with helping to bring Detroit out of its fiscal morass. Kevyn Orr, 54, was named on Thursday to the financial post by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. The nomination was confirmed by Michigan's Emergency Loan Board, and Orr will start March 25, the governor's office announced. "With this action and by working together, we can rebuild the sound financial footing needed in Detroit,” Snyder said.

Word got around that Jack Kent Cooke wanted to cash out. It was 1977 and the Lakers owner had entered into a divorce that would eventually cost $41 million, a sum worthy of the Guinness World Records for the most costly marital split in history at that time. His mounting legal bills created an opportunity for an eager buyer named Jerry Buss. The onetime chemist, now wealthy from the real estate boom, wanted to purchase not only the Lakers but also the Forum and the Kings. Buss had one problem -- he wasn't the highest bidder.

Chrysler announced Thursday that it is recalling some 2013 Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger cars built from Oct. 30, 2012, through Nov. 2, 2012. The automaker said 1,785 of the cars may have a broken control valve in the fuel-tank assembly. The problem could result in an engine stall and potentially a crash if a car would stall while it is being driven. The same problem could result in a fuel leak, which might lead to a fire if the leak reaches an ignition source. Chrysler said it will notify owners of the affected vehicles, and that dealers will inspect the fuel-tank assembly and replace any defective control valves for free.

Chrysler is recalling some model year 2003 and 2004 Dodge Viper sports cars because of an air bag defect that may cause them to deploy unexpectedly while driving. The Dodge Vipers were manufactured from Nov. 1, 2001, through June 30, 2004. The recall involves more than 3,600 cars. Chrysler says that a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags to deploy inadvertently while the car is being driven. The same problem may also activate the car's seat belt pretensioners.

Chrysler Group is recalling more than 370,000 trucks and SUVs to fix a problem with the vehicles' rear axle. The recall affects 2009 Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs, 2009-11 Dodge Dakota trucks and 2009-12 Ram 1500 trucks. Of the vehicles recalled, 278,222 are in the U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said a pinion nut on the vehicles' rear axle can come loose because of a lack of adhesion. Should the nut come loose, the axle could lock up, possibly causing the driver to lose control and crash.

The Canadian Auto Workers union today picked Chrysler Corp.'s Canadian subsidiary as its strike target in contract talks with the Big Three car makers.

General Motors Corp. has been in preliminary talks about acquiring Chrysler, according to published reports. Detroit-based GM and private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, which owns Chrysler, began the discussions more than a month ago, the New York Times reported. According to the Wall Street Journal, the talks were recently suspended because of financial market turmoil but they could resume once markets stabilize.

The national economy remains sluggish - but don't tell the auto industry. Auto sales showed surprising strength in January, with all three domestic manufacturers - General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group - reporting double-digit percentage gains. Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., the two biggest Japanese brands, also posted strong sales. Overall, the industry sold more than 1 million vehicles in January, a 14.2% gain over the same month a year earlier, according to Autodata Corp.

Auto sales showed surprising strength in January with all three of the domestic manufacturers - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler - reporting double-digit gains. “Automakers are kicking off the year strong, staying true to disciplined incentive spending as many curtailed their spending in January as the current lineup of products speak for themselves,” said Kristen Andersson, an analyst for auto price information company TrueCar.com. General Motors Co., the nation's biggest automaker, said its January U.S. sales rose by a strong 15.9% to 194,699 vehicles compared with the same month a year earlier.