Car Moon

A dozen vehicles from the three core Chrysler brands covering more than half of the company’s 2011 models are being recalled in the United States to fix a potential problem with the steering column.

The recall covers 11,351 vehicles and affects certain 2011 model year Dodge Journey crossovers, Jeep Wranglers, Chrysler 200s, Chrysler 200 Convertibles, Dodge Avengers, Dodge Nitros, Jeep Liberty SUVs, Dodge Calibers, Jeep Compass crossovers, Jeep Patriots, Dodge Grand Caravans and Chrysler Town & Country minivans.

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After releasing a barrage of refreshed models, Chrysler's Jeep division is now banking on a series of special edition models created to celebrate the brand's 70th anniversary.

“As part of our celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Jeep brand, we are creating stunning, premium special-edition models of each vehicle in our lineup that pay homage to the history of the legendary Jeep brand,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep.

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The Grand Cherokee-like nose job and the upgraded standard equipment have had a negative impact on the 2011 Jeep Compass' sticker price as the refreshed crossover model will reach showrooms next month with a starting price of $19,295, not including a (*) $700 destination fee. That's close to $4,000 more than the pre-facelift 2010MY Compass, which retailed for $15,365.

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The Chrysler Group has officially revealed the refreshed for the 2011 model year Jeep Compass crossover, which will go on sale in the U.S. within the next few weeks. In a similar fashion to its sister model, the 2011 Patriot, which looks like a smaller Liberty / Cherokee, the 2011 Compass bears a strong resemblance to Jeep's flagship, the new Grand Cherokee.

In fact, the SUV's restyled front end appears to have been directly lifted off the larger Jeep model. The new headlamps and the traditional Jeep grille with seven slots are joined by redesigned hood and fenders, additional body cladding, new brightwork throughout the exterior and slimmer roof rails.

At the back, the 2011 Compass gains LED tail lamps, new body-color rear spoiler and some trim updates. The newly designed standard 17-inch aluminum wheels, and 18-inch aluminum or chrome-clad wheels that are available on Limited models, complete the exterior makeover.

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he Chrysler Group's Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois reached a major milestone on Wednesday, July 28, when the one millionth vehicle, a natural green Jeep Patriot, that will be delivered to B.Z. Motors Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealer in Lewisburg, Pa, rolled off the assembly line.

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The Chrysler Group is the latest automaker to issue a recall over potential problems related one way or another with gas pedals. The Detroit manufacturer said that it is going to recall a total of 25,336 2007MY Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass models to address complaints about sticky gas pedals.

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The Jeep brand’s second world premiere at the Paris International Moto Show is the Compass Overland. And just like the Patriot Back Country, the Compass Overland is baptized by Jeep as a prototype –don’t ask why. Following in the footsteps of the already available Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee Overland models, the customized Compass features silver body side moldings, a Mopar mesh grille insert, body-color front and rear bumpers, door handles and license plate bar complemented by 18-inch Rallye alloys. -Continued

Likewise, the 2009 Compass’ revised interior has been enhanced with Mopar bright sill plates incised with the vehicle’s name and leather seats with an embroidered Overland logo on the front seatbacks. Jeep says that if it where to put the Compass Overland in production (make a bet it will?) it would be available with the same 2.4-liter petrol or 2.0-liter turbo diesel engines as the Compass Limited model.

A couple of weeks after seeing the first images of the 2009 Compass and Patriot models through a set of dealer ads, Jeep has finally decided to release official details on its revised compact crossovers. The most important changes concern the interior which has been revamped to address criticism regarding the poor quality and materials. Both the Compass and Patriot feature a redesigned instrument panel, centre console and door trim panels. Jeep has also added chrome accents around the new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) vents, shift bezel, door spears and cluster rings while there are also new LED-illuminated cup holders. -Continued

Under the skin, the addition of engine compartment and interior floor insulation promise to reduce noise levels and give the Patriot and Compass a quieter ride, while Jeep has also performed tuning improvements to the engine exhaust. Finally, all Compass and Patriot Sport models Jeeps feature revised suspension settings for a smoother ride.

JEEP PATRIOT: WHAT’S NEW FOR 2009

Exterior:

• Light Sandstone Metallic Clear Coat replaces Light Khaki Clear Coat
• Deep Water Blue Pearl Coat replaces Steel Blue Metallic Clear Coat
• Mold-in-color liftgate appliqué on all models

Interior:

• New instrument panel, door trim panel and center console
• Soft touch door armrest and center console with split lid for added storage space
• Chrome accents on HVAC vents and shift bezel – Sport model
• Chrome accents on HVAC vents, shift bezel, instrument panel, door spears and cluster rings – Limited model
• Removable carpeted load floor replaces vinyl load floor
• LED-Illuminated cup holders
• uconnect tunes (which includes the following features for music, audio, movie and personalized picture display):
• 30-gigabyte hard drive for ripping as many as 6,700 songs from CD or USB memory devices in compressed format (MP3, AAC or WMA file formats)
• JPEG photos can be loaded on to the hard drive, allowing the customer to personalize the home screen
• Movies can be displayed on the screen for entertaining passengers when the vehicle is in Park
• uconnect gps combines the features of uconnect phone and uconnect tunes with navigation and real-time traffic. The system includes an integrated voice recognition system and touch screen for easy operation
• uconnect gps standard on Limited model
• Universal Customer Interface (UCI) standard with uconnect tunes
• Large front and rear floor mats are standard on Sport “E” and Limited models

Powertrain/Chassis:

• 2.4L CVT Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) powertrain option available on FWD CVT models
• Improved engine compartment and floor silencers plus revised exhaust tuning (includes larger resonator on FWD and addition of resonator on 4WD)
• Revised suspension tuning on Sport models for a more comfortable, smoother ride

Packages:

Jeep® Patriot Sport “D,” “E,” and Limited:

• Available Freedom Drive II Off-Road Group (which includes trailer tow wiring harness, CVT2L with low-ratio capability, engine oil cooler, a full-size spare tire, skid plates, tow hooks, fog lamps, full-size spare tire, 17-inch OWL tires [Limited only], cabin air-filtration system and manual seat height adjuster)

Jeep Patriot Sport “E” and Limited:

• Available Security and Convenience Group (which includes uconnect phone with UCI and auto-dimming rearview mirror with microphone [Limited only], compass, HomeLink Universal Home Security System Transceiver, Tire Pressure Monitoring [TPM], Electronic Vehicle Information Center [EVIC] with compass [Sport “E” only], soft tonneau cover, security alarm, cross bars, heated cloth seats [Sport “E” only] and front seat-mounted side airbags)
• Available Sun and Sound Group (which includes a sunroof, uconnect studios SIRIUS Satellite Radio – [Sport “E” only], a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls [Sport “E” only], six Boston Acoustics speakers with subwoofer and two articulating speakers packaged in the liftgate. When the liftgate is open, the speakers can swing down from the trim panel to face rearward for tailgating and other activities)

JEEP COMPASS - WHAT’S NEW FOR 2009

Exterior:

• Light Sandstone Metallic Clear Coat replaces Light Khaki Clear Coat
• Deep Water Blue Pearl Coat replaces Steel Blue Metallic Clear Coat
• Mold-in-color liftgate appliqué on Sport model
• Body-color liftgate appliqué on Limited model

Interior:

• New instrument panel, door trim panel and center console
• Soft touch door armrest and center console with split lid for added storage space
• New chrome accents on the Compass Sport HVAC vents and shift bezel
• New chrome accents on the Compass Limited HVAC vents, shift bezel, instrument panel, door spears and cluster rings
• Carpeted load floor replaces vinyl load floor
• LED-illuminated cup holders
• Large front and rear floor mats standard on Sport “E” and Limited models
• uconnect tunes and uconnect gps available
• uconnect tunes standard on Limited model
• Universal Customer Interface (UCI) standard with uconnect

Powertrain/Chassis:

• 2.4L CVT PZEV powertrain option available on FWD CVT model
• Improved engine compartment and floor silencers plus revised exhaust tuning (including larger resonator)
• Revised suspension tuning for a more comfortable, smoother ride

Packages:

Jeep Compass Sport with Special Equipment Group “E” and Jeep Compass Limited features:

• Security and Convenience Group (which includes HomeLink Universal Home Security System Transceiver, Tire Pressure Monitoring [TPM] display, Electronic Vehicle Information Center [EVIC] with compass, uconnect phone with UCI and auto-dimming rearview mirror with microphone, soft tonneau cover, security alarm, heated cloth seats and front seat-mounted side air bags)
• Sun and Sound Group (which includes a sun roof, uconnect studios SIRIUS Satellite Radio [Sport “E” only], a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls [Sport “E” only] and six Boston Acoustics speakers with subwoofer and two articulating speakers packaged in the liftgate. When the liftgate is open, the speakers can swing down from the trim panel to face rearward for tailgating and other activities)
  

Although Chrysler has yet to make an official announcement, the 2009 model year Jeep Patriot and Compass have already made their way to the company’s dealerships. As you can see in the dealer photographs after the jump, the major difference between the 2008 and 2009 Patriot and Compass concerns the revamped interior that features a newly-styled dashboard with softer plastics, new door panels and seat fabrics.

These changes were made by Jeep to address the negative impressions from consumers and the media alike in regards of the poor quality and cheap materials of the Compass and Patriot. Expect the Dodge Caliber to receive a similar treatment towards the end of 2008. -Image gallery after the jump

2009 Jeep Patriot

2009 Jeep Compass

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Cars