Recall Alert: 2009 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan

Chrysler has issued a recall of 13,350 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans from the 2009 model year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The vehicles were recalled due to a faulty electrical connector in the optional Blind Spot Detection System. This could cause a number of problems, the most dangerous of which is a potential fire should the connector overheat.

Dealers will either seal the power circuit for the connector or replace the entire fuse free of charge.

Owners can contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236

Chrysler Offering No-Charge DVD Promotion, Again

In February, as part of a “new day” celebration, Chrysler unveiled a somewhat unique promotion on its minivans: Buy a minivan, get a rear-seat DVD player for free. Since then, it’s hard to argue the company has experienced anything resembling the optimism of a new day, but that hasn’t stopped the automaker from reprising the DVD offer this month.

If customers purchase a Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, Jeep Commander or Jeep Grand Cherokee, they’ll receive a rear-seat DVD entertainment package free of charge. In the minivans, that includes screens for both the second and third rows. This national deal is on top of other cash-back and financing incentives, and it expires Jan. 5.

Minivan Deals Can Be Had in Bad Economy

The economy may or may not be in its death throes, but the kids still need to go to soccer practice. (Or various other activities. Perhaps dance lessons?)

News has been focusing on falling SUV and truck sales, but the minivan is also in a slump as of late. For prospective minivan buyers out there, we went through our incentives list and checked out the deals available. Some are significant, like the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country getting $3,500 cash back and the 2008 Kia Sedona’s $5,000 or 0.0% financing for 60 months.

There are cash-back deals on some 2009 models as well: The 2009 Nissan Quest gets $2,500 cash back or 2.9% financing for 72 months, while the 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan has a nice little $1,000 deal. See the list below for the models we found, or check out our full list of regional incentives here. 

Chrysler Unveils Future Electric Lineup

Today, Chrysler took the wraps off three plug-in electric and plug-in electric hybrids today. They include an all-electric sports car from Dodge called the Dodge EV, and plug-in electric hybrids — or range-extended electric vehicles, depending on which terminology you prefer — that will be offered in the Jeep Wrangler and the Chrysler Town & Country minivan.

However, Chrysler says only one of the vehicles will go into production by 2010. What happens to the other two is anyone's guess.

Chrysler Adds More Cash to Gas Plan Rebates

The Big Three automakers are faced with some pretty remarkable May sales numbers, and not in a good way. Adapting to the new demand for smaller, more-fuel-efficient cars is a long-term process. In the meantime, rebates on trucks, SUVs and vans are flooding automakers’ websites — and none more so than Chrysler’s.

For example, Chrysler is offering $4,500 cash back on the Aspen, or $1,000 plus the three-year Let’s Refuel America $2.99 gas deal. That lowers the price of the full-size SUV down to about $28,000. Check out a list of Chrysler’s incentives below.

Chrysler Dishes Out New Features for 2009 Models

Minivans and cars with all-wheel drive are two of the most popular topics over at Ask.cars.com. In keeping with the popularity of both, Chrysler is adding two new safety systems to its 2009 minivans, the Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, as well as adding a fuel-saving feature on the all-wheel-drive 2009 Chrysler 300C.

Two new detection systems, Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Path, will keep Chrysler minivan drivers aware of what’s happening outside their vehicle. Blind spot detectors are commonly found on luxury and near-luxury cars, not necessarily minivans. Like the current systems available, Chrysler’s will warn drivers with an icon that illuminates in the side-view mirrors when a passing vehicle enters their blind spot.

Best Cash-Back Finds: 2.15.08

President’s Day is Monday and you’ve probably seen a lot of commercials about big car sales. Automakers had a pretty dismal January for car sales across the board and they’re looking to pick things up in February. Besides our full list of incentives you can find here, many are offering short-term incentives for just the weekend. Here are some of the best we’ve found in terms of quality, safety and value. Yes, there are three minivans.

2008 Kia Sedona

MSRP: $20,695
Cash back: $1,500
Percent off MSRP: 7.2%   
Expires: 3/3/08
5-Year Ownership Costs

Kia’s minivan has been an underachiever for some time, but still is one of only three minivans to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award. The interior isn’t the best in the class but the base price and long warranty are mighty alluring. Add up to $1,500 cash back depending on where you live and the Sedona seems mighty sensible.

Video: VW Routan vs. Chrysler Town & Country

Volkswagen's minibus is perhaps the most iconic van of all time. Now the automaker is getting back into the van game, but with a model — the Routan — that is completely different from its old minibus; it’s based on Chrysler's minivans. In this video, we compare the new Routan with a Chrysler Town & Country to see where they're the same and where they differ. You can share this video via YouTube.

New Minivans Included in Chrysler Sale

The Chrysler Event of a Lifetime might be hyperbolically named. After all, anyone who considers a year-end car manufacturer sale the event of their lifetime probably needs to do some serious self-examination. Therapy might even be in order.

While they're getting those issues sorted out, though, the rest of us can take advantage of the deals Chrysler's event entails. The automaker is offering a variety of savings on 2008 models, including $3,000 on a 300C (excluding the SRT8), $2,000 on Sebring convertibles, $1,000 on a Town & Country, and $1,500 and $2,000 on five- and six-passenger Pacificas, respectively.

Dodge and Jeep are in on the act, too. Dodge trucks get the highest discounts — $3,000 on the 2008 Durango and $4,500 on certain Ram trims — while the 2008 Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee get $3,000 each.

A variety of long-term financing deals are also available.

Time is of the essence: current deals expire Monday, Dec. 3, and Chrysler has yet to announce any incentives past the current expiration date. Though surely Chrysler would want to extend the Event of All Our Lifetimes, right? 

Check out Cars.com's Incentives page for a full list of deals.

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.27.07

As I prepare to drive home in a Corvette Z06 — pity me, really — I get a chance to reflect on how varied our revolving fleet of vehicles truly is. This week, Kelsey Mays and I take a look at the all-new Land Rover LR2 and the Chrysler Town & Country. They’re two distinctly different vehicles, and both needed a reworking. Now, where is that Z06 key fob… 

2008 Land Rover LR2

Land Rover fans will love the brand’s latest baby. It has the flavor of its larger siblings — the window switches sit right up on the window sill, the center controls employ lots of scalloped dials, and there’s enough off-road equipment to get you to the Yucatan. Those looking for a regular SUV might take issue with some of the smaller details: Our LR2 SE had an uncovered tray in place of a real center console (the pricier HSE adds one) and it’s too easy to confuse the temperature dial for the stereo volume. As senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder noted in his review, folding the rear seats down requires first flipping the cushions forward. That’s old-school.