Calls for a recall of the 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee have been redoubled after the release of a new report documenting the growing list of fatalities associated with the SUV.

The report, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has added 14 more deaths to the SUVs total, resulting from fires that occurred in rear end collisions. In total, the Jeep from that era has claimed 284 people in 198 accidents due to the vehicle catching fire, says the Center for Auto Safety (CAS).

Jeep Grand Cherokees are at an unusually high risk of catching fire during these types of crashes alleges the CAS, due to the gas tank being located behind the rear axle.

The Ford Pinto was made infamous for a similar design that resulted in fiery rear end collisions, and CAS points out in a letter to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne that at the time of its recall the number of deaths associated with that car were relatively small, totaling 28.

The rather sensational letter asks Marchionne to act on this news and says, “Your predecessor as CEO of Chrysler once said that part of his decision to install airbags at Chrysler was the prospect of St Peter at the gates of heaven asking him about airbags in cars. Just as surely, St. Peter will ask you about fuel tanks in Jeep Grand Cherokees.”

In response Chrysler says that, “…rear impacts resulting in a fire are extremely rare. Rear impacts resulting in a fire occur no more often in 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles than in peer vehicles, and the 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are at no greater risk of exposure to fire in rear-end collisions than peer vehicles. Accordingly, Chrysler Group has concluded that 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are neither defective nor do their fuel systems pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear impact collisions.”

The 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee is currently under investigation by NHTSA but no recall has been issues.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

It’s official: The Chrysler Group has announced that a diesel variant of the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be offered in the North American markets and will be manufactured at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit.

The press release didn’t focus on just the Grand Cherokee Diesel announcement, as Chrysler also mentioned that it would be adding a third crew of workers and about 1,100 new jobs at the same plant next year. Unfortunately no actual details on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel have been released but it’s likely to be the same as the European version of the Grand Cherokee Diesel.

In Europe, the Grand Cherokee Diesel is powered by a 3.0L V6 CRD turbo diesel, one with 190-hp and 325 lb-ft of torque and another with 241-hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Both are combined with a five-speed automatic transmission.

Look for more news on the diesel Jeep from the Detroit Auto Show next week.

GALLERY: 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel

The upcoming 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 refresh will also be getting some new tweaks to its suspension, employing the services of Jeep‘s Grand Cherokee.

The new truck will be getting the air suspension setup found in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, giving the truck a whole new level of riding comfort. The 2013 Ram 1500 will be getting plenty of new goodies with Dodge looking to enhance the trucks’ luxury department as well as some new tech toys. It’ll be making its debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show.

[Source: Auto Evolution]

AMP Electric vehicles has just announced that it will unveil an electrified version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The company  has already put together a Mercedes-Benz M-Class EV and the addition of the Jeep Grand Cherokee is seen as a logical step, since both vehicles share components and structure, meaning that for the Jeep, minimal changes are required for EV conversion.

Although not a great deal of information has so far been released regarding the Grand Cherokee EV, AMP says that the vehicle is being aimed at larger fleet customers rather than low volume clients. According to Jim Taylor, AMP’s chief executive, the idea is that fleets could “buy a new gas-powered step van for $30,000, or spend the same amount of money to convert an existing vehicle to electric power.”

Fitted with a 37 kWh battery pack, the electric Grand Cherokee is said to have a range of 100 miles, based on information released from AMP. Final pricing and distributors are expected to be announced during the vehicle’s unveiling in Detroit.

AMP believes that the Grand Cherokee’s reputation and capability will appeal to the generally conservative nature of fleet customers and the company is currently in talks with organizations such as Fedex and UPS, in an effort to secure them as customers.

AMP’s previous trial with the Chevy Equinox ended because GM didn’t offer any manufacturer support, however at this juncture it would appear that the Jeep deal shows signs of being far more successful. “We got no love out of GM,” said Taylor recently. “Chrysler answered the phone when we called for the first date.”

See AutoGuide’s full Detroit Auto show coverage here.

We’ve all heard the horror stories about women who take their cars into a mechanic to fix a minor problem, only to be charged outrageous fees for non-existent or small issues. A national news program went undercover to get the scoop. After placing hidden cameras at several dealerships, the show’s decoy was overcharged for service work.

The MSNBC “Today” show sent a producer with a functional, out-of-warranty 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee to five New York-area Jeep dealerships. Before sending her on her way, the network hired a mechanic to install a faulty air conditioning relay, so warm air would blow out of the unit. This problem would cost you about $100 to fix.

When the producer took her Jeep to four of the five garages, mechanics found the faulty relay, but they tacked on extra services to the bill. When the show interviewed third party repair experts, they said these extra services were considered unnecessary. At one dealership, the producer was told her air conditioning compressor had blown up and it would cost $2,000 to fix.

But hopefully some good will come from this news segment – Chrysler spokesman Gualberto Ranieri issued a statement to MSNBC: “I can assure you that we are investigating this case.”

[Source: Automotive News]

Chrysler is issuing a recall for a small number of vehicles equipped with the new 3.6-liter “Pentastar” V6. According to the automaker a total of 657 vehicles may be affected and could exhibit a loss of power as a result of manufacturing debris left in the engine.

Chrysler saws the problem was caught early on, but not until those 657 models had been shipped out. Models affected include the Chrysler 200, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Journey, Durango, Grand Caravan and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Chrysler says it will be sending out letters to retail and fleet customers in October, but that the majority of the vehicles have yet to be sold.

The results for the most successful cars of 2011 so far are in. Automotive data and marketing solutions company Polk has calculated the results from the first six months of 2011 new vehicle registrations and have come up with the top picks for non-premium and premium models.

These results look at model-level performance and determine which ones are doing well so far this year. It’s also important to note that the March Japanese earthquake/tsunamis have had an impact on these results, and the inventory shortages for Toyota and Honda caused by the disaster have impacted the June 2011 CYTD (Calendar Year To Date) retail results for these brands.

Here’s a list of the winners so far, along with the June 2011 CYTD year-over-year improvements in new retail registrations.

Non-Premium

1. Hyundai Sonata (+32%)

2. Volkswagen Jetta (+69%)

3. Ford Fiesta (not on sale in 2010)

4. Chevrolet Cruze/Cobalt (+178%)

5. Jeep Grand Cherokee (+170%)

Other non-premium models that performed well in the first half of 2011 include the Optima, Regal, 200/Sebring, Durango, Elantra and Equinox.

Premium

1. Cadillac CTS (+54%)

2. BMW 5-Series (+56%)

3. Jaguar XJ (+273%)

4. Porsche Cayenne (+178%)

5. BMW X3 (+276%)

An honorable mention goes out to the Volvo S60, another premium model that has performed well in 2011.

[Source: Polk]

Fiat’s luxurious Maserati brand has plans to build its first Jeep Grand Cherokee based SUV at Chrysler’s Jefferson North assembly plant in Detroit. The eagerly anticipated concept version of the model will debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month.

CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne, aims to expand Maserati and Alfa Romeo by drawing on Fiat and Chrysler’s combined size to boost profits. This is a very similar plan to what Volkswagen did with its production volume and Audi’s luxury to generate more than 40 percent of VW’s earnings from less than 20 percent of sales.

The  vehicle will be based on the brand-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, but insiders have said it will be hard to spot the resemblance. The interior will be fitted with plush Italian leather as well as wood accents throughout the inside. Under the hood will be a Chrysler HEMI 6.4-liter V8 producing 465-hp. While Maserati already has their own 4.7L V8, the reality is that the HEMI already fits in the platform quite well and will help keep the cost of the vehicle down. The well regarded Fiat V6 diesel will also be available on the Cherokee platform.

[Source: Automotive News]

Bulgarian tuner Vilner is becoming quite the interior specialists, this time revisiting a Hennessey Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 600 project. The first time around was back in October 2010, when Vilner got their hands on the 600-hp, V8-powered Grand Cherokee after Hennessey had installed their performance package. This time around though, Vilner redid the entire interior with a similar red and black theme similar to the Jeep’s exterior.

On the inside, plenty of red and black Alcantara has been combined with black leather that is trimmed with red seams. In addition, Vilner designed and developed a unique steering wheel for the Grand Cherokee that they claim offers the best possible grip. The steering wheel can be personalized to the customer’s preference if requested and is wrapped with a similar Alcantara/leather combination.

For the exterior, Vilner modified the headlights with daytime LEDs and halogen diodes.

GALLERY: Vilner Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 600