The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a rare Consumer Alert telling owners of more than 154,000 model year 2020-2024 Jeep Wrangler plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and model year 2022-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid electric vehicles due to a risk of fire while parked or driven. There have been two alleged injuries reported to date. The affected vehicles may have been built with a high voltage battery that may fail internally. (read AutoInformed.com on Plug-in Hybrid Jeeps Recalled for Battery Fire Risks)
Owners should park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles until their vehicle has been remedied. In addition, owners should not charge unrepaired vehicles, because the risk of fire is higher in a charged battery and the risk of fire is reduced when the battery is depleted. Continue reading
U.S. Vehicles Sales Drop as Consumers Wait for Discounts
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U.S. Light Vehicle sales totaled 1.17 million units in September, according to a preliminary analysis just released by the respected GlobalData* consultancy. The annualized selling rate for the month was 15.8 million units/year, up from 15.2 million units/year in August. The daily selling rate was estimated at 50,700 units/day in September, down from 50,900 in August.** Light Vehicle (LV) sales fell by 13.1% year-on-year (YoY). September lacked the Labor Day holiday weekend this year, and “with only 23 selling days in the month compared to 26 in 2023, the month was always likely to be weak in terms of an adjusted YoY comparison,” GlobalData said.
“September sales were in line with our forecast, although our expectations were modest for what was always penciled in to be a quieter month. Even though the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 50 basis points – above the expectations of many analysts – it is likely to take some time for lower borrowing costs to feed through to the auto industry. Generally, high vehicle pricing is keeping monthly payments elevated, and therefore some consumers are still sitting on the sidelines,” said David Oakley, Manager, Americas Sales Forecasts at GlobalData.
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