JSwain: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

Fiat-Chrysler Recalling 158,671 Jeep Cherokees for Potential Wiper Fault

2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

Fiat-Chrysler’s recall woes for the latest Jeep Cherokee just keep coming. The latest in a line of recalls for the crossover addresses static electricity buildup on the windshield wipers when they’re operated in dry conditions. An internal FCA investigation revealed the issue, which affects 158,671 2014 Cherokees in the U.S., as well as 47,997 abroad.

The static electricity buildup can affect the control module for the windshield wipers, potentially rendering the wipers inoperative. Jeep says that the fix calls for dealers to install a ground strap to the modules to “eliminate the potential for static buildup.” Customers will be instructed to visit their dealers for ground-strap installation, which will be performed at no cost.

Recall Alert: 2014 Jeep Cherokee

Vehicles Affected: Approximately 160,000 model-year 2014 Jeep Cherokee SUVs

The Problem: Static buildup in the control module could potentially disable the windshield wipers. An investigation by the automaker discovered the problem could occur if the wipers are activated during dry conditions. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said it is unaware of any related injuries or accidents.

The Fix: Dealers will install a ground strap to the control module to eliminate the potential for static buildup for free.

What Owners Should Do: FCA did not immediately announce an owner-notification schedule. Owners can call the automaker at 800-853-1403 for more info.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.

More Recalls

New Jersey's New Car Seat Law Gets Child Safety Right

On Sept. 1, a new law goes into effect in New Jersey that will have parents reevaluating how their kids ride in their car seats. Parents of infants and toddlers in New Jersey could be turning their forward-facing child-safety seats back to the rear-facing position to comply with the state's new car-seat law. New Jersey is the first state to enact such a law; a similar law takes effect in Oklahoma on Nov. 1.

Related: Car Seat Checks

This new law follows the American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines, which were first created in 2011 and adopted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The AAP and NHTSA recommend that children remain in rear-facing car seats until at least age 2 or until they reach the car seat's height or weight limit.

Under New Jersey's law, children younger than 2 and weighing less than 30 pounds must be in a rear-facing car seat with a five-point harness that's installed in the backseat. There are no exceptions made for little ones with long legs. For parents concerned that their rear-facing children won't have enough room to sit comfortably, their kids can sit with their legs crossed or resting against the back of the vehicle's seat.

Rear-facing car seats offer increased crash protection because the car seat's shell absorbs crash forces and supports the child's head, neck and back in a crash, according to the National Child Passenger Safety Certification training manual.

According to New Jersey's new law, once a child has reached either the rear-facing car seat's height or weight limit or is older than 2 or weighs more than 30 pounds, they can ride in a forward-facing car seat with a five-point harness until they're age 4 or 40 pounds.

The new law applies to booster seats as well. It states that a child must ride in a booster until age 8 or 57 inches tall. Seat belts are designed for adults, not kids, and a booster seat raises a child so the seat belt fits them correctly at their hips and shoulders. Under New Jersey's new law, at 57 inches tall a child can then sit in the car's backseat and use a seat belt.

New Jersey's new law addresses two of the common car seat mistakes that many parents across the country make: moving children from rear-facing to forward-facing car seats too soon and not using booster seats for a long enough period.

There are a few other common mistakes that parents of kids in car seats should avoid:

Car-seat installation is too loose: Whether in the rear- or forward-facing position, a car seat installed with a seat belt or the Latch system should move no more than an inch from side to side. Make sure to test your child's car seat every time you use it by giving it a tug at the belt path and looking for too much lateral movement.
Tether strap is overlooked: When a convertible seat is switched to the forward-facing position, it's important for parents to realize there's an additional strap they need to secure on the car seat. At the top of the forward-facing car seat's back is a long strap with a hook on it. This is the tether strap and it connects to a tether anchor in your vehicle, which can be easy to overlook. In sedans, the anchor is on the rear shelf; in SUVs, wagons and hatchbacks, it's on the seatbacks or in the cargo-area. Sometimes it's in the cargo area's ceiling.
Keep kids out of the front seat: Many parents let their kids who have graduated from their booster seats sit in the front passenger seat, but children should ride in the backseat until age 13. In a crash, the front airbag could harm a child more than it would an adult. If you need to put your child in the front seat, make sure to move the front passenger seat as far away from the front airbag as possible.

2015 Mercedes-Benz E400 4MATIC Coupe Tested: Sometimes Big Power Isn’t Everything

Well, this is refreshing, a Mercedes coupe that’s actually a coupe—with two doors. It’s one of four available E-class body styles, joining a traditional four-door sedan, a station wagon, and a convertible. It’s an extensive lineup with a number of engine options that brings the total available models to 14, including a thrifty 2.1-liter turbo-diesel and a big-output twin-turbo V-8 in the E63 AMG at the top of the range. READ MORE ››

2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio: First Look

Competes with: Fiat 500C

Looks like: A Targa-top version of the wider, bug-eyed ForTwo redesign

Drivetrain: 89-horsepower, turbocharged 0.9-liter three-cylinder with five-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Hits dealerships: Early summer 2016

Smart's one-car makeover continues with the 2017 ForTwo cabrio, a convertible version of the redesigned 2016 ForTwo coupe that hits dealerships this fall. The brand will delay the cabrio one model year; it arrives in mid-2016.

Related: 2016 Smart ForTwo: First Drive

Like the prior ForTwo cabrio, the redesigned cabrio's power soft-top can slide back to the B-pillars for a Targa-top effect or completely down above the trunk. Like before, removable ceiling pillars frame the windows and flank the fabric top. You can remove them to make the ForTwo a more open-air experience than the rival Fiat 500c, which has fixed ceiling pillars.

The ForTwo cabrio comes in Pure, Passion, Prime and Proxy trims. Pricing is still pending, but the 2016 ForTwo starts at $15,400, including a destination charge. The outgoing cabrio cost a $3,000 premium over the equivalent hardtop.

Exterior

The cabrio has the same pint-sized shape and larger, bug-eyed headlights as the redesigned hardtop. Its B-pillars are slimmer, but they still sweep — complete with contrasting paint — toward the car's bottom. LED daytime running lamps are standard.

Like the coupe, the cabrio's biggest dimensional change is its width, which Smart increased some 3.5 inches for a beefier stance. The car is slightly shorter than its golf-cart-sized predecessor, and its turning circle is now less a long putt: a scant 22.8 feet, down a huge 6 feet from the previous version.

Interior

The two-seat cabrio shares the hardtop's interior, chock-full of rounded shapes, bright colors and a mesh-like dashboard material. Standard features include automatic climate control, power windows, cruise control and a Bluetooth-integrated stereo with steering-wheel controls. A wind deflector is optional.

Under the Hood

Technically, the ForTwo's engine isn't under the hood. It's mounted in back, and it makes 89 horsepower and 100 pounds-feet of torque from a turbocharged three-cylinder that displaces just 898 cc (that is, 0.898 liters). The engine drives the rear wheels through a five-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

EPA mileage is still pending for both the ForTwo hardtop and cabrio, but one pesky detail is already out: Like its predecessor, the ForTwo still needs premium gas.

2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio; 2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio;