Chrysler has issued a recall of 278,222 light trucks and sport utility vehicles here in the United States. The reason: bad rear axles. Specifically, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the rear axle pinion nut may lack a necessary adhesive patch, which could cause the nut to loosen. If this happens, the axle can lock up, which could cause all sorts of havoc on the road. This is an expansion of the rear axle recall announced in October of last year, where 44,300 Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota models were being called in. At that time, 12 accidents had been ... Read More

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Report: Chrysler developing TR Ram Life Style Truck to compete with Honda Ridgeline 1305743340

Does the world need a competitor to the Honda Ridgeline? While sales figures of Honda's half-truck would lead us to believe consumers aren't clamoring for such a vehicle (Honda only sold 16,142 Ridgelines in all of 2010, barely more than the 13,047 Dakotas that Dodge moved), recent reports indicate that Chrysler seems to think otherwise. We've known for ...
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Report: Chrysler considering new name for Ram trucks [UPDATE] 1289343660

Chrysler is apparently still trying to iron out some of the kinks in its new pickup naming structure. The company recently decided to separate its popular line of pickups from the rest of the Dodge fleet by putting them under the Ram banner. The only problem is not every vehicle in the Pentastar pickup family has a history of boasting a billy goat on the ...
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Report: Ram still considering small unibody pickup 1269277140

Chrysler is dropping more hints about an upcoming unibody pickup that would be positioned below the Dodge Dakota. You may recall that first word of the new small truck came back in November when Fred Diaz, CEO of Chrysler's newly-created Ram brand, dropped tidbits about the company "considering" a Dakota replacement. We speculated that it could be built ...
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Autoblog Podcast #156 1260308400

Editor Chris Paukert has apparently been bitten by the podcasting bug, and he once again joins Shunk and Roth for Episode #156 of the Autoblog Podcast. We dive right in to reminiscence about the recently finished Los Angeles Auto Show. Moving on from there, we talk about Audi's new A7 Sportback and its extreme gorgeousness, as well as the new A8 and all ...
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REPORT: Chrysler still considering unibody Dakota replacement 1260214200

The Dodge Dakota -- as we know it today -- will go away in 2011, but looking at current sales of the mid-size pickup, it may as well be dead already. Chrysler has only sold 10,000 Dakotas this year, with an anemic 663 units cleared in November. But while the Dakota is selling poorly (it's not helped by being too close in price to the much more capable ...
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Ram considering new mid-size unibody pickup to replace Dakota 1257358800

In a rambling presentation that presented almost nothing of any value, Fred Diaz, CEO of Chrysler's newly-created Ram brand, did drop at least one little tidbit in passing. Currently the Dodge truck offerings consist of only two vehicles, the full-size Ram and the mid-size Dakota. The long-term fate of the Dakota has been the subject of much speculation ...
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Chrysler to restart seven North American plants by end of month 1245266940

Hot on the heels of news that the Dodge Viper's Conner Avenue facility would be the first Chrysler plant to fire up after the company's bankruptcy proceedings/Fiat tie-up comes official word that the automaker will resume production at seven plants the week of June 29. In addition, Chrysler will bring the supporting powertrain and stamping plants online ...
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Chrysler considers car-based pickup 1231539300

Upcoming CAFE regulations may sound the death knell that renders the mid-size pickup segment officially spent. Sales of the not-quite full-size trucks have been dwindling at an even faster pace than their larger brothers, and much of the blame can be attributed to the small price and efficiency improvements that the smaller trucks can offer, especially ...
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In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Dodge Dakota Sport 1205164680

When we first locked eyes on the 2008 Dodge Dakota at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, we were breathless. The reason for our inability to process oxygen had everything to do with the ungainly sheet metal that covered the latest iteration of Dodge's midsize truck offering. The new Dakota is boxy with an awkward, Pug-like front end, and the interior is ...
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SEMA 2007 Preview: Dodge Dakota MX Warrior 1193198340

Click the Dakota MX Warrior for a high res gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/motorsport/Dodge_teams_with_motocrosser_to_create_Dakota_MX_Warrior_for_SEMA'; Dodge teamed up motocross racer Scott Waraniak to create the Dakota MX Warrior for this year's SEMA show. Scott races KTM bikes and is studying at Detroit's College for Creative Studies. In ...