Chrysler Group

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.

Chrysler Group, the U.S. automaker run by Fiat, said it would accept product liability claims on Chrysler vehicles made before the company exited bankruptcy June 10 and those involved in accidents on or after that date. Chrysler Group announced its changed policy on liability claims in a letter sent to members of Congress, the company said. Chrysler Group purchased most of the assets of the old Chrysler company, now called Old Carco, when it emerged from bankruptcy. Initially, as part of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's approval of the purchase, Chrysler Group agreed to assume liability only for cars sold by the new company.

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 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 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.

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 Group, like rival Ford Motor Co., said it would reduce North American production of large pickups and sport utility vehicles in the fourth quarter. Most cuts will be made on the Dodge Durango SUV and Dodge Ram pickup, Chief Executive Tom LaSorda said. He would not provide specifics but said the reductions would not be as large as production cuts of 65,000 to 75,000 vehicles it was making in the current quarter. The U.S. arm of DaimlerChrysler said U.S.

DaimlerChrysler might sell off the Chrysler Group's aviation unit or some of its component plants in further restructuring moves this year to help pull the company out of its sea of red ink, Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said Monday. Such cuts would be beyond the dramatic announcement by the troubled auto maker three weeks ago that Chrysler would eliminate 26,000 jobs, or 20% of its work force, and shutter six factories while significantly reducing production at seven others.

Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group made financial headway in a sluggish economy in the second quarter, increasing sales and slashing debt. Ford sales rose 13% to $35.5 billion, although profits fell 8% to $2.4 billion as the Dearborn, Mich., automaker spent more money on materials such as steel and on designing and building new vehicles. Sales jumped 30% for Chrysler but losses widened to $370 million as the automaker repaid U.S. and Canadian government loans taken out during the financial crisis.

Thanks to a rebound in the auto industry, the UAW is reporting a growth in union membership. The UAW, which represents workers at the American auto companies as well as some public sector workers and even casino employees, said it finished last year with 382,513 members, up from 380,716 in 2011. While the growth was small in the last year, the tally is a big jump from the 355,191 workers the UAW represented back in 2009, the start of the industry's recovery from the recession and bankruptcy reorganizations of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Helped by the improving U.S. auto market, Chrysler Group said it earned $1.7 billion last year, almost 10 times what it earned in the previous year. Chrysler was the fastest growing U.S. automaker last year. It sales rose almost 21% -- about five times the rate of its domestic rivals - and its market share rose to 11.4% from 10.7%. The automaker's results were helped by big increases in sales of passenger cars.  Sales of its Chrysler 300, for example, almost doubled and Chrysler 200 sedan sales rose 44% last year.   Chrysler also did well with its traditional products such as the Ram pickup truck and the Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility.

Chrysler Group said it would devote about 25% of its vehicle production to ethanol-ready models in coming years in response to higher gasoline prices. Chrysler Group President Tom LaSorda said the carmaker expected to sell about 250,000 flex-fuel vehicles next year and half a million by 2008. Flex-fuel vehicles can run on either gasoline or an ethanol-blended fuel.

Thanks to a rebound in the auto industry, the UAW is reporting a growth in union membership. The UAW, which represents workers at the American auto companies as well as some public sector workers and even casino employees, said it finished last year with 382,513 members, up from 380,716 in 2011. While the growth was small in the last year, the tally is a big jump from the 355,191 workers the UAW represented back in 2009, the start of the industry's recovery from the recession and bankruptcy reorganizations of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group.

Chrysler Group said profits soared in the third quarter, helped by a remake of its product lineup and the introduction of the Dodge Dart compact sedan. The Auburn Hills, Mich., automaker said its net income rose 80% to $381 million compared with the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 18% to $15.5 billion. “We've changed the conversation at Chrysler Group,” said Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of Chrysler. “We have revamped our product lineup with such segment-defining models as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chrysler 300.” Marchionne also runs Italian automaker Fiat, which has gradually taken a controlling interest in Chrysler since the automaker's emergence from bankruptcy restructuring in 2009.

With the 2012 SEMA Show just around the corner, it would appear that Chrysler Group is coming to party. The company released details on many of the 24 modified vehicles it will be bringing to the private aftermarket show. Models from every one of its six brands (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, SRT and Fiat) will be on display, each featuring parts from Chrysler Group's Mopar aftermarket catalog. SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Assn., has thousands of company members and many of them will descend on Las Vegas from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 to show off products like aftermarket wheels, vehicle body kits, engine upgrades and performance modifications for nearly every aspect of a car. Photos: Chrysler's 2012 SEMA preview Automakers have taken note of the show's reach and use it to showcase one-off designs of existing models as well as aftermarket products they make themselves.