Chrysler may scrap Dodge Avenger, focus on 200 sedan

Chrysler Group LLC may drop the Dodge Avenger within three years as it readies a redesign of the better-selling Chrysler 200 sedan built on the same platform, a Chrysler executive said on Monday.

"Chrysler Group will likely consolidate around one midsize car in the future," Reid Bigland, head of the Dodge brand, told Reuters in a Monday interview at the Detroit auto show.

By focusing on a single model, Chrysler can lower marketing and development costs. The move also removes the risk that one model might steal sales from the other in the same showroom.

The Dodge Avenger and the Chrysler 200, formerly known as the Sebring, are built at the automaker's Sterling Heights, Mich., plant and were overhauled in 2010.

"If we have two cars that are very similar, it does split dealer focus," Bigland said. "Consolidating around one very competitive entry certainly has its advantages."

U.S. sales of the Avenger rose 26 percent last year to 64,023, while 200 sales reached 87,033 units. But both models lag far behind the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu in sales.

A lackluster vehicle lineup and an untenable cost structure pushed Chrysler to the brink of collapse before its federal bailout in 2009. Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy under the management control of Italian automaker Fiat SpA.

Under Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of both companies, Fiat and Chrysler are fusing their operations and developed a joint platform based on Fiat engineering that will underpin many of the group's future vehicles.

Chrysler unveiled the Dodge Dart compact car, which is the first vehicle off this platform, during the Detroit auto show. In the future, the Dart's roomy interior could win over some consumers who might have considered the Avenger, Bigland said.

Chrysler already offers its trademark minivans under the Dodge and Chrysler brands. But Bigland described the Avenger and 200 as "more closely aligned."

"Post-Fiat, there's a lot more product delineation," Bigland said.

Last year, the Avenger sold more than 64,000 vehicles in the U.S. market. The 200 sold about 87,000 in 2011.

The 200 was featured in Chrysler's 2-minute Super Bowl advertisement last year that featured performer Eminem and the tagline "Imported from Detroit."

Chrysler prepares to build Dodge small car

Chrysler Group LLC said it plans to begin test production in the second half of this year of the small car that will trigger U.S. government requirements to increase Fiat S.p.A.'s ownership stake.

Tooling for the small Dodge brand car will be installed at Chrysler's Belvidere, Ill., assembly plant in August, said Fred Goedtel, head of Chrysler's vehicle assembly operations.

"We'll start pilots in the fall" and official production begins "sometime" in the first quarter, he said.

Design work on the car, which is the vehicle Chrysler expects will trigger the final government ownership milestone, is done, said Ralph Gilles, head of Chrysler design.

"The company is really focused on it," he said of the vehicle.

Fiat is moving fast to consolidate control over Chrysler.

The Italian automaker is buying the U.S. Treasury Department's final stake in the U.S. automaker that was acquired as part of Chrysler's 2009 bankruptcy reorganization.

That purchase will raise Fiat's stake to 52 percent. Chrysler must test and commit to building a vehicle in the U.S. that achieves 40 mpg for Fiat to gain another 5 percent stake.

Its deal with the U.S. and Canada allowed Fiat to gain as much as 35 percent in Chrysler without paying cash in exchange for giving management experience and technology to Chrysler.

Fiat was also required to achieve various performance milestones.

The 40 mpg vehicle is the final such milestone. Fiat also exercised an option to purchase 16 percent of the company after Chrysler repaid the U.S. and Canadian government loans in May.

Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both automakers, has said he expects Fiat will get its final 5 percent tied to the 40 mpg car by year's end.

The small Dodge car is based on Fiat's Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Marchionne has said. Gilles said the new Dodge model's name was decided earlier this week.

But he declined to provide the name.

TSB 2009 Caravan/Town and Country Squeak at Low Speed Maneuvers and Over Bumps

Subject: Squeak at Low Speed Maneuvers and Over Bumps

Vehicle Involved: 2009 Caravan/Town and Country. This bulletin applies to vehicles built before February 9, 2009

Condition: Some sway bars may be rubbing against the heat shield during low speed maneuvers and over bumps.

Repair Procedure: This bulletin involves removing, modifying and re-installing the power steering gear heat shield.

Inspect the heat shield to sway bar clearance, if there is rubbing between the sway bar and the heat shield, perform the repair procedure.

1. Raise the vehicle
2. Remove the power steering gear heat shield.
3. Remove the two bolts and clips that retain the heat shield to the vehicle.
4. Cut the heat shield along the line indicated in (Fig. 1).
5. Install the power steering gear heat shield. When installing the push pins replace them with new pins
6. Lower the vehicle

TSB 1987-2002 Dodge Dakota/ Durango Front caliper housing bolt

Condition: Caliper housing bolt damaged when servicing front brakes

Repair: When servicing the brakes and replacing the front brake pads some techs have complained that the hex head of the housing bolt because of its size M9-1.25 is easily stripped or damaged when they re-install the caliper.

The fix is to install an alternative housing bolt with a M10-1.25 hex head.

The bigger hex will be stronger and will facilitate installation without any issues.

The Raybestos part number for the M10-1.25 housing bolt is H5015W.

2003 dodge caravan

Well i have tried everything so i thought i would get on here for some ideas so her goes i have a 2003 dodge grand caravan with flex fuel the problem started when the van hit 300,000 miles it stopped running the gas light had come on a couple minuetes prior to it stop running so i went and got 5 gallons of gas and put in it this did not make a difference either so i pushed it home from there i have changed the fuel filter the van will run when it is cold for about 3 minuetes then it stops and makes a clicking noise from the fuse box and will not start when it is making the noise so i changed the fuel pump no difference then i changed the map sensor no difference then i changed the coolent sensor no difference then i put new plugs and H2o sensor in it then i checked the codes again and it said the TP sensor was malfunctioning so i changed that and it ran for exactly 15 minuetes and stopped running again and the clicking noise started back up so my last option is the computer brain unless someone else has an idea i can try??

Response:
1) Have you tried the crank sensor? Sometimes when those heat up they make the engine cutoff
2) That would have been my first guess did you check the fuel pressure before you changed the pump??
3) Check for a plugged converter.

the rear brakes on this stratus and the right rear caliper will not release

I replace the rear brakes on this stratus and the right rear caliper will not release. There seems to be nothing wrong with the caliper itself. The pressure does not back off when you take your foot off the brake. I think it has anti-lock braking system. Any Ideas.

Response:
Is it only one side that will not release? How do you know that. Did you try squeezing the caliper back away from the pads?
1) Sounds like the rubber part of the line has collapsed,that line has a inner line that gets weak and when you press on the brake pedal it lets the fluid flow out to the caliper but when you let off and the fluid tries to return back the line collapses keeping pressure on caliper not letting it release...
2)And to prove this, get a c-clamp and push the piston back into the caliper. Remove the clamp and the piston should stay in the caliper. Start the car, push on the brake petal, turn the car off, and check to see if the piston stays in the out position. If so, replace the rubber hose. You will need to bleed the air out of the lines when that is done. Get some penetrating oil. I like Kroil, others on this list like PB Blaster. Spray the bleeders until you can loosen them. You will also need a friend to help with the bleeding.

3)
Do you know the the stratus has screw in rear calipers and not push in calipers???

Redesigned 2011 Dodge Durango has three rows of seats, new logo

New Dodge Durango

Dodge today released the first pictures of the 2011 Durango SUV.

The Durango will be built at Chrysler's Jefferson North assembly plant on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It will arrive in dealer showrooms in the fourth quarter this year.

The Durango comes with seven seats while the Grand Cherokee comes with five. The Durango will have 22 seating configurations, according to a statement by the company. Like the Grand Cherokee, the Durango will be available with two engine options: a standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and an optional 5.7-liter HEMI V-8.

The new Durango will receive an all-new cabin as part of Chrysler's ongoing campaign to upgrade interiors across its entire lineup.

Chrysler stopped making the previous-generation Durango in 2008, when it shut down its Newark, Del., assembly plant. The new vehicle bears no resemblance to its predecessor. The old vehicle was a body-on-frame SUV derived from pickups. The new platform is a unibody-style structure with rear- or all-wheel-drive options.

Dodge is describing it as a “three-row performance vehicle.”

The Durango will be the first vehicle to sport the new Dodge logo, featuring a restyled, chrome-accented version of the crosshair grille that Dodge and Ram shared before Chrysler's new management separated the brands last year. The distinctive Ram's horns are gone, having stayed with Ram, which is now exclusively a truck brand.

The vehicle will make its first public appearance at the Dodge Rock ‘n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon presented by SunTrust in Virginia Beach, Va., over the Labor Day weekend.

Although Dodge no longer sells trucks, it's still the top-selling brand in the Chrysler Group stable. Dodge sold 35,364 vehicles in August, up 8 percent over the same month last year.

Daimler targets sales at double industry growth rate

Daimler AG, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks, aims to increase deliveries twice as fast as this year's worldwide auto-market growth rate as the latest models of the E-class and S-class sedans attract buyers.

“Our global sales target for the year is ambitious but realistic,” CEO Dieter Zetsche said today at the annual shareholders meeting in Berlin. The sales gain includes a projected 50 percent jump in sales of the E class, including sedan, station wagon, coupe, and convertible versions.

Carmakers' deliveries will increase 3 percent to 4 percent this year, Daimler said in February. The Stuttgart, Germany- based manufacturer is seeking to close the gap with luxury-car market leader BMW AG while fending off efforts by Volkswagen AG's Audi division to become the world's biggest high-end automaker by 2015. Zetsche didn't specify Daimler's car-sales target for this year.

Daimler is targeting earnings before interest and taxes of at least 2.3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) this year after an Ebit loss of 1.51 billion euros in 2009. The manufacturer stuck to a forecast today that revenue in 2010 will exceed last year's 78.9 billion euros but be “significantly” below the 98.5 billion euros of 2008.

The global economy is “too fragile” to allow Daimler to commit to a timeframe for raising the automaking division's Ebit as a proportion of sales to 9 percent, Zetsche said. Munich-based BMW reaffirmed a target last month of achieving an Ebit margin in carmaking of at least 8 percent by 2012.

Sales at the Mercedes-Benz Cars division, which includes the Smart minicar and Maybach luxury nameplates, rose 11 percent to 271,200 vehicles in the first quarter, the company said on April 6. Including deliveries to dealers, Mercedes-Benz brand sales jumped by almost 27 percent in the period, boosted by a surge of more than two-thirds for the top-of-the-line S-Class, Daimler said today.

Daimler rose as much as 52 cents, or 1.4 percent, to 36.52 euros, the highest intraday price since Jan. 20, and was up 1.2 percent as of 1:59 p.m. in Frankfurt trading. The stock has declined 2.1 percent this year.

The company is also the world's largest truckmaker with Freightliner vehicles in the U.S. and Fuso models in Asia. Daimler said first-quarter truck sales rose 8 percent and orders nearly doubled, even as markets remain “weak.” Bus sales increased 23 percent in the first three months of 2010, and van deliveries jumped 62 percent, Zetsche said.

Reacting to rising international tensions with Iran over the country's nuclear research, Daimler said today that it's abandoning a 30 percent stake in a diesel-engine venture with Iran Khodro Co. Daimler also withdrew an application with the German government to export three-axle trucks to Iran and will halt delivery of such vehicles indefinitely.

“The policies of the current Iranian leadership have compelled us to put our business relationship with that country on a new footing,” Zetsche told about 5,000 shareholders. “Our business activities with Iran will now be limited to meeting our existing contractual obligations and continuing our cooperation with established customers.”

Cooperation With Renault

The manufacturer, seeking to expand its line-up of small cars while holding back costs, announced plans a week ago to cooperate with the Renault-Nissan alliance on developing compact Mercedes-Benz and Smart vehicles. A new line of Smart city cars, including two- and four-seat versions, will share a platform with Renault SA's Twingo. The French partner will supply 3- and 4-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines for Mercedes-Benz cars.

The cooperation represents “a decisive strategic step” that will help Smart enhance its position as a “young” brand, Zetsche said. While the project will help Mercedes-Benz hold back the expense of introducing smaller models, the brand “will not tolerate any compromises to our claim ‘the best or nothing,'” Zetsche added.

Working with Renault and Nissan Motor Co. may not bring the benefits that Daimler is planning, Ingo Speich, a Frankfurt- based fund manager with Union Investment, said at the meeting.

“We have grave doubts that the new partnership will be a success,” Speich said. “The traces of missteps run like a red thread through Daimler's cooperation history.”

After losing ground to Munich-based BMW in reducing vehicle emissions, Daimler aims to almost double annual spending to develop batteries and fuel-saving engines, to 1 billion euros in the next two years from an average 567 million euros in the past three years, Thomas Weber, the company's development chief, said on March 3.

Electric-car projects

The German company plans to develop an electric car for China with BYD Co., the Shenzhen-based automaker backed by billionaire Warren Buffett. It's also building a factory in eastern Germany to produce lithium-ion batteries by 2012 and has taken a stake in Tesla Motors Inc., the Palo Alto, California- based manufacturer of electric sports cars.

“Daimler aims to be, and will be, a pioneer in the field of electric mobility” as the car industry phases out oil-based powering systems, Zetsche said. “When alternative drive systems go into mass production in a few years, we will be ahead of the competition.”

A net loss of 2.64 billion euros last year because of the global car-market contraction prompted Daimler to cancel its dividend for the first time since at least 1999. Daimler posted the loss, its first for a full year since 2001, even after reducing spending by 5.3 billion euros by building fewer vehicles and cutting pay in response to the recession.

Daimler reiterated that it plans to resume dividend payments after returning to profit this year.

How do I remove the rear brake drums on a 1999 Dodge Ram Van 1500 ?

After removing the wheel and tire, remove the clip from one of the studs. Bang on the drum and try to pull it forward. If it won't move, remove the rubber plug from behind, and adjust your shoes inward, with a brake adj. tool, and then try pulling the drum off.

http://www.freeautomechanic.com/brake-drum-brakes.html

Windshield fogging inside on a 1996 Dodge Caravan

My daughter has a 1996 Dodge Caravan. When it is cold out and she turns the heater or defroster on the windshield fogs up on the inside. I told her I think it's is caused by a leak in the heater core. Anyone else with any other ideas? Thanks


Response:
This depends on IF the van has an operational Air Conditioning System. This "Fog" is caused from Air Density changes. When you first start it up and turn on the Defroster(hence the name) it also turns on the A/C Compressor. Pop the hood and watch the compressor clutch. Especially these past few days. But this SHOULD evaporate within a couple minutes unlike Anti-Freeze.

I have a noise in the front end of my '03 Dodge Caravan

Started with a thud on right front if even hit a small bump in the road, and continually got worse. Now there is a rattle to accompany the thud, sounds like dice in a wooden box rattling around. Tires wear bad. Have had it in three times, mechanics cannot find anything to blame it on to fix. Very irritating noises especially when traveling down the highway. Starts feeling like it is thuding on my last nerve. Approx 72K on speedometer. Any ideas that I can send the mechanics on the right road to fix.

Response:
Check your Struts. That is ...... Read Entire Article

ABS Light is on and I don't want to spend anymore money to fix it

I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 with the ABS Light on. The codes say both speed sensors are bad in the front. I replaced both spend sensors and the light is still. The shop wants more money to look at it and I don't want to put anymore money into it. Is there a way to just unplug the bulbs so that I don't have to see the light?


Answer:
Yes and No. This truck does not have bulbs, it is equipped with LED lights. But you can take the dash apart and remove the circuit board from the gauge cluster and clip one leg of the LED and it will no longer light up. I do not recommend clipping both legs in case you want to reconnect it later.

P0340 and P0353 are currently present codes were cleared and came back do you think its a wiring problem or both components are defective

I have a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager. P0340 and P0353 are currently present codes were cleared and came back do you think its a wiring problem or both components are defective

Answer:

P0340 : Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Malfunction


P0353 : Ignition Coil C Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction

Looks to me like one of the coils needs to be replaced and would probably take care of the other issue. I would replace the coil/plug/wire ( which ever one you need) and then clear codes and test it again. You can swap around parts from one cylinder to the other to test them.

1997 Dode Caravan - popping noise from engine on acceleration

I have a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan and I took it to a mechanic and he said that there was low compression in the first cylinder what would cause this and how do i fix it there also appears to be no apparent leak as I have no loss of fluid? I have just recently picked up some K&W Permanent Metallic Block Seal Head Gasket Repair is this something that I should try ? Please help I am desperate as this is my only vehicle and I have four children. Sorry I feel like the biggest idiot i just talked with the mechanic about my car and i was not given all the info as my mother in law was the one that grabbed it for us and relayed the info he said that it was due to a bad valve and that i needed a valve job done on it which is expensive so because when the problem first presented it was making a popping noise so what he did was take off the plug to the first cylinder so it doesn't make the popping noise.

Answer:

The Block seal will not help the issue you have. A valve job or replacement of a valve in the #1 cylinder is eminent. Removing the plug wire from that cylinder will keep the engine from popping but it is important to make sure the Fuel Injector was also unplugged so it doesn't continue to inject fuel into that cylinder and cause the rings to wash out.