Jeep Automobile

DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler unit said it was recalling about 832,500 Jeep Liberty sport utility vehicles to fix a steering part. The front suspension lower ball joints on 2002 to 2006 Liberty SUVs will be replaced, the automaker said in a statement. The part can experience excessive wear and in extreme cases may separate, causing a loss of steering control, Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler said.

YOU might expect me to object to the 2 1/2 -ton Jeep Commander Limited 4x4 on the grounds of its in-the-teens fuel economy. You would be wrong. I wouldn't drive this thing if gas were free and I got 72 virgins with every fill-up. As we say in the South: Dang, she's ugly.

In an age where most cars and trucks have been homogenized into one generic mass, there are still some vehicles that are individualists. The Jeep Wrangler is one such vehicle. What the Wrangler shares with its off-road competition is four-wheel drive and a rugged structure. But that's where the similarity ends. The Jeep is tested on the Rubicon Trail to ensure its off-road agility. Its upright windshield and familiar boxy shape pay little heed to aerodynamics.

I must return the wireless headphones. They belong to the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited sport utility vehicle we drove to New York over the Thanksgiving weekend. I removed the headphones from the SUV because they are considered "personal items." No one who values property leaves personal items in a vehicle parked in a big-city garage. The rear-seat video screen, six-disc dash-mounted CD player with MP3 capability and the optional Sirius satellite radio system are also personal items.