DaimlerChrysler has announced the recall of 316,148 Jeep Wrangler sport utility vehicles and 268,740 Dodge Ram pickups for two separate problems. Parking brakes can reportedly release on their own without warning in Jeep Wrangler SUVs made between June 1989 and December 1995. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began investigating Jeep Wranglers recently because of parking brake problems. More than 2,400 complaints have been lodged, documenting fifty-one crashes that have injured at least four people. To solve the problem, dealers will install a stiffer spring in the parking brake.

A faulty alternator wire that can create a fire hazard will be repaired in Dodge Ram 2001 model year pickups built between January and August 2000. Chrysler says it will tighten the alternator wire connections, which can become loose and catch fire.