Dodge Ram Owners Accuse Chrysler of Cheating on Emissions

Owners of Dodge Ram trucks are now claiming that Fiat Chrysler installed so-called “defeat device” technology—though different from what was found in Volkswagen’s ongoing “Dieselgate” scandal—that was allegedly designed to do a bad job of restricting emissions

The Ram owners—represented by the law firm of Hagens Berman claim that in order to produce a diesel engine with “desirable torque and power characteristics, good fuel economy, and emissions levels low enough to meet the stringent standards,” the companies developed a flawed product with limited capacity to trap or minimize excess emissions. read more »

Software Fix Didn't Work on Some Fiat Chrysler Gearshifts

Software designed to fix confusing gear shifters on 1.1 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles didn't work on 29,000 of them. Now the owners are being asked to take the vehicles back to dealers for another try.

The new software was supposed to make the cars and SUVs automatically shift into park when the driver's door is opened while the engine is running. But Fiat Chrysler says the change didn't properly fix 13,000 vehicles in the U.S. and 16,000 in other countries.

Jeep Grand Cherokees from the 2014 and 2015 model years and the 2012 through 2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 were recalled in April due to complaints from drivers who had trouble telling if the transmission was in "park" after stopping. 

Your car will be recalled in 2017 thanks to poor open-source security

Security experts believe yet another open-source software security catastrophe is on the horizon -- but this time, your car is the target.

In the coming year, a high-profile auto manufacturer will be forced to recall vehicles due to a cybersecurity breach for the first time, experts have warned.

Our cars are no longer simply a way to travel from A to B. They are no longer just mechanics, oil, and parts; but rather, they have become reliant on computer systems to function properly.

Everything from in-car infotainment dashboards which connect to the web to vehicle maintenance systems which send alerts to owners when a car needs servicing are now becoming commonplace; and as such, a pathway has been created for attackers to exploit.

A typical new car now contains over 100 million lines of code, and together with an internet connection, vulnerabilities are likely to be found. read more »