So, we're supposed to stimulate the economy and risk our lives, as well?

[sjonathan02]

Chrysler recalls 600,000 vehicles

What in the world?

[funkStrat_97]

Just what they DON'T need.

[sjonathan02]

Just what they DON'T need.

Exactly.

[under13]

GTRDave to their defense in 5 - 4- 3 - 2 -

[dingster1]

This is exactly why I won't get a 300c.

[B3Wannabe]

Sweet.

So now we need to just ride a bike or buy Korean?

[phbrown]

seems like they are attempting to preempt what happened to Toyota recently by taking a better safe than sorry approach

[lordluvr]

seems like they are attempting to preempt what happened to Toyota recently by taking a better safe than sorry approach

Quite possibly, because one thing that I did not see in the article was the report of any incidents, only "possibilities".

[chevonee]

Man this junk is getting waaaaaaaaay out of control. All I can say is errybody betta buy yaself a nice

[lordluvr]

Man this junk is getting waaaaaaaaay out of control. All I can say is errybody betta buy yaself a nice

That IS kinda nice, actually!

[malthumb]

GTRDave to their defense in 5 - 4- 3 - 2 -

For today's matinee performance, the role of GTRDave will be played by Malthumb

More fallout from the Toyota mess. 
1) There will be more recalls
2) The general public will (understandably) mis-interpret the meaning and intent of recalls

Automotive recalls happen A LOT and most of them are voluntary and not publically discussed.  Maybe a 5 second blurb at 11:17 of the 11:00 news.

Typically a recall happens when a manufacturer either notices a statistical anamoly in their manufacturing process or in warranty occurences in the field.  For example, a manufacturer might notice that the supplier of a wiring harness delivered a batch that has a statiscally significant increase of harnesses that exhibit a minor voltage spike.  The manufacturer may decide to identify the total popluation that might be impacted and they might opt to recall them.  If they choose to voluntarily recall them, they need to communicate to NHTSA what the concern is and what the POTENTIAL failure modes could be.  It doesn't mean that it ever happened.  It doesn't mean that every vehicle is LIKELY to exhibit the problem.  I've been involved in recalls where we could statiscally show that there MIGHT be up to 16 vehicles built with a suspect part.  Problem is, those 16 parts could have been in any of about 30,000+ vehicles built.  Wells, since it was safety related, we recalled all 30,000 vehicles in order to check for the part.  We knew what date stamps to look for on the supplier's parts, so the 29,984 vehicles that did not have a problem could be ruled out by a 5 minute inspection at the dealer.


The difference between the Chrysler situation and the Toyota situation is that Toyota did not do the pre-emptive type of voluntary recalls.  They only reacted AFTER things had already gone to heck.  And even then they had to be forced by NHTSA to do anything.  Most recalls are about something that has a statistical possibility of happening.  The Toyota recalls are about triage.  Befre we dump Chrysler in the same basket with Toyota, let's wait to see if there have been any occurences in customer vehicles that led to the recall.

[funkStrat_97]

Automotive recalls happen A LOT and most of them are voluntary and not publically discussed.  Maybe a 5 second blurb at 11:17 of the 11:00 news.

Don't forget about those TSB's.  They get even less publicity than a proper recall.

[chevonee]

That IS kinda nice, actually!

It sure is but I like my car better.

[B3Wannabe]

It sure is but I like my car better.

Bah. I've been thinking about riding my bike to work....and I have an almost 30-mile, one-way, commute. I used to ride all the time, but then I didn't have a car either.

I have about 85% convinced myself to do it.

[gtrdave]

Don't forget about those TSB's.  They get even less publicity than a proper recall.

Yeah, but that's because TSBs are not a given problem on every car. They are usually compiled after a few common complaints occur on a certain car AND they are not safety related, therefore they do not have to issue a recall as they would in the case of this wiring stuff that might cause a fire.
People don't need to be alarmed if the door edge moulding might sit crooked on a half dozen Durangos (that's a TSB), but they'd probably appreciate the warning that their 300C might flame up all of the sudden (that's a recall).

Also, as far as I know, all of the recalled cars were made under the watch of the former Chrysler LLC; a company that no longer exists and one that the new partial owners Fiat have claimed had a horrible QC record compared to what they intend to produce in the future.
We shall see.
Regardless, I still want a Challenger and my wife wants a Grand Cherokee...cain't afford either one, though, so our Neon and Caravan will have to do for a while longer...

[nessalynn77]

Don't forget about those TSB's.  They get even less publicity than a proper recall.

Yeah, my car's computer problem was on a TSB, and I had to find it on the internet and show it to the mechanic.... after he charged me 94.00 for a diagnostic...

[gtrdave]

Man this junk is getting waaaaaaaaay out of control. All I can say is errybody betta buy yaself a nice

I've got this one for the dirt:



And this one for the road:



And this one goes even faster on the road:



 

[B3Wannabe]

I like that 10-speed. I was looking at some at Walmart earlier this year. I would like to get a good, light-weight, one. The mountain bike that I have will be a bear to ride long distances, and is the main reason for my hesitation to ride it to work.

[gtrdave]

I like that 10-speed. I was looking at some at Walmart earlier this year. I would like to get a good, light-weight, one. The mountain bike that I have will be a bear to ride long distances, and is the main reason for my hesitation to ride it to work.

Don't buy one from Wal-Mart. Cheap bike, no service...no bueno.
I bought my Trek used ($475) from a guy who specializes in finding older-but-good condition, good quality bikes. He does what ever is needed to make them safe and ready and advertises on the local Craigslist.
Another guy at church bought an older Schwinn road bike from him for $175 and even it's better than what you'll find at Wal-Mart by a long shot.

If you want to buy new, look for a Performance Bike store near you. They sell a lot of the new lower-cost import stuff (as well as high-end stuff), but they stand behind it with lifetime tune-ups and such. You might pay a little more than you would at Wal-Mart, but you'll be getting SO MUCH MORE for your money.

To me, riding a cheap bike is like playing a cheap guitar. 

[malthumb]

I like that 10-speed. I was looking at some at Walmart earlier this year. I would like to get a good, light-weight, one. The mountain bike that I have will be a bear to ride long distances, and is the main reason for my hesitation to ride it to work.

Trek makes a "tweener" that is almost as rugged as a mountain bike but lighter and more comfortable for long rides through town.  I've had mine for about 10 years and my wife has an upgraded version that she's had for about 7 or 8 years.  We take them everywhere.  We even ride them on the beach when we go to Hilton Head.

I forget the model numbers of our bikes (301 or 501?) but now they are the FX series of Trek bikes.