Chrysler recalls more than 320,000 pickups, SUVs; Mercedes-Benz recalls 680,000
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Chrysler recalls more than 320,000 pickups, SUVs; Mercedes-Benz recalls 680,000
AUBURN HILLS, Michigan. — Daimler Chrysler’s (DCX) Chrysler Group is recalling 320,188 Dodge Durango sport utility vehicles and Dakota pickups because of a potential safety hazard involving the windshield wipers, federal regulators said Tuesday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said water could get into the windshield wiper motor on some vehicles, causing corrosion and malfunctions of the wipers.
Vehicles involved are 2002-2003 Durango’s and 2002-2004 Dakotas, NHTSA said. Dealers will replace the front windshield wiper module, the agency said.
Owners should contact Daimler Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Separately, Daimler Chrysler’s Mercedes unit is recalling around 680,000 passenger cars worldwide due to suspected problems with the braking systems in some cars, the automotive group said Tuesday.
Daimler said it is offering free inspections to customers of its E-class saloon (sedan) built after March 2002, SL-class sports cars built after October 2001 and T-models built after March 2003.
A spokesman said that prior inspections showed that of all the models of these classes and years, roughly two out of every thousand proved to have problems with the Sensotronic Brake Control system.
If the same percentage applied, this would translate in this case to about 1,360 units affected out of the 680,000 vehicles.
The carmaker said the defect in the system's braking hydraulics meant drivers need to brake earlier and with greater force to bring the car to a stop.
According to the company, high-mileage vehicles where the brakes have been used more than average — such as taxis — have mainly been hit by the problem.
The spokesman declined to comment on what the cost of the recall would be for Daimler Chrysler.
Mercedes, which delivered nearly 1.1 million cars to customers in 2003, is the company's most prestigious and profitable car unit.
Including its Smart and May Bach brand sales, the Mercedes Car Group contributed roughly 55% to the group's operating earnings last year.
Analysts view recalls as more of a danger to the brand's image than the group's profits.
In a recent quality survey by J.D. Power and Associates, Mercedes-Benz cars were found to have 106 problems per 100 vehicles, placing it far below Toyota's luxury brand Lexus, but still ahead of the BMW brand and Volkswagen's premium brand Audi.
"Mercedes' quality image has been slipping in many surveys," Merrill Lynch wrote in a note to clients on April 29.
In New York trading, shares of Daimler Chrysler traded up 0.8% at $42.39 per share on the Big Board.
*USAToday
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said water could get into the windshield wiper motor on some vehicles, causing corrosion and malfunctions of the wipers.
Vehicles involved are 2002-2003 Durango’s and 2002-2004 Dakotas, NHTSA said. Dealers will replace the front windshield wiper module, the agency said.
Owners should contact Daimler Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Separately, Daimler Chrysler’s Mercedes unit is recalling around 680,000 passenger cars worldwide due to suspected problems with the braking systems in some cars, the automotive group said Tuesday.
Daimler said it is offering free inspections to customers of its E-class saloon (sedan) built after March 2002, SL-class sports cars built after October 2001 and T-models built after March 2003.
A spokesman said that prior inspections showed that of all the models of these classes and years, roughly two out of every thousand proved to have problems with the Sensotronic Brake Control system.
If the same percentage applied, this would translate in this case to about 1,360 units affected out of the 680,000 vehicles.
The carmaker said the defect in the system's braking hydraulics meant drivers need to brake earlier and with greater force to bring the car to a stop.
According to the company, high-mileage vehicles where the brakes have been used more than average — such as taxis — have mainly been hit by the problem.
The spokesman declined to comment on what the cost of the recall would be for Daimler Chrysler.
Mercedes, which delivered nearly 1.1 million cars to customers in 2003, is the company's most prestigious and profitable car unit.
Including its Smart and May Bach brand sales, the Mercedes Car Group contributed roughly 55% to the group's operating earnings last year.
Analysts view recalls as more of a danger to the brand's image than the group's profits.
In a recent quality survey by J.D. Power and Associates, Mercedes-Benz cars were found to have 106 problems per 100 vehicles, placing it far below Toyota's luxury brand Lexus, but still ahead of the BMW brand and Volkswagen's premium brand Audi.
"Mercedes' quality image has been slipping in many surveys," Merrill Lynch wrote in a note to clients on April 29.
In New York trading, shares of Daimler Chrysler traded up 0.8% at $42.39 per share on the Big Board.
*USAToday
