Chrysler Recalls 86000 Pickups to Fix Wheel Bearings

Chrysler Recalls 86000 Pickups to Fix Wheel Bearings DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit is recalling some 2006 Dodge Ram pickup trucks because their front- wheel bearings may not have enough grease. The action includes as many as 86,333 of the pickups built between Nov. 7, 2005, and April 27, 2006, the company told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The problem can cause noise and vibration that if not addressed could lead to a loss of control and a crash, the agency said on its Web site. The recall affects Chrysler's biggest-selling model in the U.S. Dodge Ram pickups accounted for 364,177, or 17 percent, of the 2.14 million cars and trucks the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker sold last year. Sales of the pickup fell 9.1 percent. ``What's important here is the safety of the drivers and we want to ensure that there are no incidents,'' Max Gates, a Chrysler spokesman, said in an interview. No crashes or injuries related to the problem have been reported, he said. The U.S. auto-safety agency also said it began a preliminary investigation of 2006 and 2007 Jeep Commander sport-utility vehicles after receiving 50 complaints about engine stalling and loss of lights while driving. Chrysler is cutting jobs and closing a Delaware plant over three years after a $1.5 billion loss in 2006, as its U.S. market share fell to 12.9 percent from 13.6 percent. DaimlerChrysler, based in Stuttgart, Germany, is the world's fifth-largest automaker. In the U.S., the company lost the No. 3 ranking in sales to Toyota Motor Corp. last year. The automaker said in its letter to the U.S. agency that Timken Co. supplied the bearings used in the Ram pickups and notified Chrysler in April 2006 that it produced them with insufficient grease. Jeff Dafler, a spokesman for Canton, Ohio-based Timken, declined to comment on the recall. Dealers will replace the front hub and bearing units on the affected pickups starting this month, at no charge to owners. Gates declined to estimate the cost of the recall. In September, Chrysler recalled 145,099 of the 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 pickups to reprogram the passenger air bag and adjust the seat belt for children's safety. DaimlerChrysler's U.S. shares gained $3.08, or 4.4 percent, to $73.33 at 4:02 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading following reports that the company is in talks with General Motors Corp. to sell its Chrysler unit