Recall Alert: 18,800 2021 Jeep Cherokees Recalled Due to Fire Risk

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Jeep announced that it is recalling nearly 19,000 2021 Jeep Cherokee SUVs. According to the manufacturer, leaking transmission hoses could lead to an increased fire risk. The good news is that the fix for the Jeep Cherokee’s leaking transmission hoses is as easy as replacing the hose and refilling the SUV’s transmission.

Is there a recall on Jeep Cherokees?

Jeep Cherokee | Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Yes, the 2021 Jeep Cherokee has been recalled. According to the NHTSA, some 2021 Jeep Cherokee SUVs were manufactured using a transmission oil cooler hose (TOC) with incorrectly cured rubber. “An incorrectly cured TOC hose may have a weakened hose wall that can rupture,” the NHTSA added.

The potential for a ruptured TOC hose isn’t the only issue, however. In fact, should transmission fluid begin leaking from a ruptured TOC hose, Roadshow reports it runs the risk of coming into contact with the Jeep Cherokee’s exhaust system, which could lead to a vehicle fire.

According to the NHTSA’s Safety Recall Report, as of April 20, 2021, the automaker has identified four customer assistance records, 160 warranty claims, and seven field reports that could be related to the SUV’s incorrectly cured TOC hose. The good news is that the manufacturer is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the incorrectly cured TOC hose.

What this recall means for 2021 Jeep Cherokee owners

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No one wants their car to be recalled. Fortunately, the automaker has already committed to inspecting and replacing the problematic TOC hoses on an as-needed basis. The fix will come at no cost to 2021 Jeep Cherokee owners too. 

If you own a 2021 Jeep Cherokee and are concerned that your SUV is affected by this recall, you can expect a notification in the mail shortly. Jeep Cherokee owners are also invited to contact the automaker’s customer service line at 1-800-853-1403 and reference recall Y18 if they have questions.

This isn’t the 2021 Jeep Cherokee’s first recall

RELATED: 2014 Jeep Cherokee Owners Have a Wildly Annoying Complaint

As it turns out, this isn’t the first time the 2021 Jeep Cherokee has been recalled. This recall is actually the SUV’s second recall. The first 2021 Jeep Cherokee recall included the Jeep Cherokee Limited. According to the NHTSA’s Safety Recall Report, the SUV “may have been built with one or both front lower control arms with hardness below specification.”

The NHTSA added, “A front lower control arm manufactured with hardness below specification may result in a fracture while driving.” At the time, owners were advised not to drive their Jeep Cherokee until it was inspected and repaired.

How to tell if your car has been recalled

RELATED: Why Are Recall Announcements Being Delayed by Automakers?

Recalls happen from time to time, meaning that this Jeep Cherokee recall isn’t all that unusual. It may, however, have you asking how to tell if your car has been recalled. Fortunately, finding that information isn’t all that difficult.

To find out if your vehicle has been recalled, simply head to the NHTSA recall website. There, you can enter your vehicle’s VIN. The NHTSA will then tell you whether or not your vehicle has been recalled.

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Man Buys 39 Cars Including Tesla and Escalade With $1.5 M in PPP Money

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Using fraudulent funds to buy a Tesla? What could go wrong? The federal government has been hard at work tracking down fraudulent use of the Paycheck Protection Program. While the program was intended to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic, some people used the money to buy luxury automobiles.

A Tesla and an Escalade were not enough

A Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle was seized earlier this year | Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rudolph Brooks, Jr. of Maryland was busted for a fraudulent scheme in April 2021. The U.S. Department of Justice charged him with one federal count of wire fraud.

Brooks is the owner of Cars Direct by Gavawn HWD Bob’s Motors. The business is known as Cars Direct. He incorporated the business back in 2010.

Brooks forfeited Cars Direct in 2012. This essentially means the business no longer existed after that year. He revived the business in May 2020. Brooks allegedly applied for a PPP loan for more than $1.5 million.

“In support of the Cars Direct PPP loan application, Brooks allegedly submitted fraudulent tax forms which allegedly reported $724,469 in payments via Forms 1099-MISC and $7,471,630 in total unemployment payments to employees from Cars Direct.”

U.S. Department of Justice

Maryland’s Department of Labor has no records of wages paid by the business. However, Brooks paid no payroll-related expenses from the accounts that received the money. In other words, Cars Direct was not operating.

A simple wire transfer for a Tesla Model 3

RELATED: Tesla Safety Report for 2021 Q1: How Safe Is Autopilot?

After that, Brooks used the fraudulent gains to purchase 39 different cars, including a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The 2018 Tesla Model 3 goes for around $50,000-$60,000. That is dependent on the condition. He also had around $2.2 million sitting in bank accounts.

Allegedly, Brooks sent a wire transfer on July 30, 2020, for $60,407 for the Model 3. The name on the transfer was Rudolph Brooks, while the driver’s license on file was for another relative. He registered the Model 3 at the same residence of Brooks Jr.

Other vehicles include a 2017 Mercedes Benz S Class and a 2014 GMC Yukon XL. Similarly, a 2017 Infinity Q50, a 2015 Cadillac Escalade, and a 2005 Bentley Continental were purchased. In conclusion, the purchase of these cars was not an approved use of the PPP loans.

Additionally, he went on to purchase a property in Baltimore with $133,669.54 in PPP funds. Mr. Brooks purchased this under an LLC with the name Madaro, of which he was listed as the resident agent.

What happens to the seized cars?

RELATED: Man Used $5.1M in PPP Loans to Buy Lamborghini and Ferrari

If the government seizes an item, it might be available for sale on the U.S. Marshals Service Asset Forfeiture Program site. Currently, there are a few cars available on the site through Rudy Smith Auctions. A 2019 Audi A6 is available through May 5, 2021.

A 2013 Infini JX35 and a 2011 Porsche Panamera are also available. The Panamera has 51,700 miles and is being sold “as is.” Additionally, a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost with 38,900 is available. The left rear exterior door handle is missing.

Although the process is not quick, there are many luxury vehicles available for sale from this process. One man’s trash is another man’s seized treasure or something like that.

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The 2021 Ford Bronco’s Fuel Economy Reveals It’s Thirsty

by Gabrielle DeSantis

We have been waiting a while to see how the 2021 Ford Bronco does on gas! Finally, the official Ford Bronco fuel economy figures have been revealed. But these numbers may leave you feeling underwhelmed if you expected a fuel-efficient beast. 

The 2021 Ford Bronco has an average fuel economy 

2021 Ford Bronco | Ford

According to CNET, the 2021 Ford Bronco does pretty average on gas. After EPA testing, Ford released the official fuel economy estimates for the Bronco, and the most fuel-efficient variant provides 21 mpg combined. 

The 2.3-liter turbo-four engine provides the best fuel economy with 20 mpg in the city, 22 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. Pairing the base engine with the base model returns the numbers with the 10-speed automatic transmission and the seven-speed manual transmission. 

Adding the Sasquatch package to a model with the base engine gets you 18 mpg across the board. 

The Badlands trim with the base engine receives 18 mpg in the city, 17 mpg on the highway, and 17 mpg combined. Switching to the manual transmission gets you an EPA-estimated 16, 18, 17 mpg city/highway/combined. 

The best fuel economy for the 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 engine occurs when paired with the base, Big Bend, and Outer Banks trims. It provides an EPA-estimated 18 mpg in the city, 20 mpg on the highway, and 19 mpg combined. The Sasquatch package drops these figures to 17 across the board. 

How does the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport do on gas? 

Pictured is the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, an IIHS Top Safety Pick+
2021 Ford Bronco Sport | Ford

RELATED: Why Was the Ford Bronco Discontinued?

The Bronco Sport does a little better on gas compared to other 2021 Ford Bronco Models. But it’s still a thirsty baby. According to MotorTrend, with the 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, you get an EPA-estimated 25 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined. 

If you opt for the Ford Bronco Sport with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, you will receive an EPA-estimated 21 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined. However, on a positive note, the Bronco Sport comes with standard all-wheel drive. AWD may weigh it down, but it’s definitely a nice perk to have included. 

But MotorTrend mentions that the fuel economy looks pretty weak compared to rivals. The Ford Bronco is built a little differently. Instead of being premium daily drivers, the two-door, four-door, and Sport models are built with legendary off-roading capabilities. 

How does the Ford Bronco compare to rivals? 

The new 2021 Ford Bronco specs make running through the dunes much easier
2021 Ford Bronco | Ford

The 2021 Ford Bronco is on par with the 2021 Jeep Wrangler. A two-door Wrangler with the 3.6-liter V6 engine and an automatic transmission provides about 19 mpg combined. But the Jeep Wrangler 4xe provides up to 49 MPGe with a full tank of gas and juiced-up battery. 

But the Wrangler Rubicon 392 is a different story with an EPA-estimated 13 mpg in the city and up to 17 mpg on the highway. We are still waiting to see if the Ford Bronco or Bronco Sport will adopt a hybrid powertrain. 

The 2021 Toyota RAV4 gets an EPA-estimated 28 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. Also, the gas-powered Ford Escape gets up to 27 mpg combined, and it has a hybrid variant like the RAV4. The Bronco may have some catching up to do.

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1 Colorado Road Reportedly Has a Phantom Camaro Driving the Streets

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Not everyone believes in the supernatural, but some ghost stories would be cool if they turned out to be true. Whether it’s a deceased celebrity’s car believed to be cursed or an urban legend of a hitchhiker mysteriously disappearing during a ride, cars are sometimes the subject of ghost stories. One of the more interesting tales is about a phantom Chevy Camaro prowling the streets of a Colorado road. This is the story.

The ghost Camaro isn’t Riverdale Road’s only haunting

Riverdale Road is an 11-mile stretch in Colorado that connects the municipalities of Thornton and Brighton, the Denver Public Library explains. The street has a reputation as “the most haunted road in the country,” thanks to tales that storytellers have been passed down through the years.

Some of the urban legends about Riverdale Road involve a ghost jogger who taps on the sides of passing vehicles, a hitchhiker who disappeared into the night, and a mansion owner who went crazy and set the home on fire — with his family inside. The family members died, and he disappeared.

Then there’s the related urban legend of the road being the gates of Hell, Thought Catalog reports. The mansion’s owner built the now-rusty iron gates. Witnesses have reported seeing a lady in white — assumed to be his deceased wife — walking past the gates, presumably searching for her murdered children or missing husband. She doesn’t harm visitors, though. She simply appears in rearview mirrors as cars drive by.

The ghost Camaro on Riverdale Road

One of the most famous supernatural tales of Riverdale Road involves the phantom Camaro. The story goes that the Camaro’s owner perished in an accident at a blind corner on the road in the 1970s, HotCars reports. The now-phantom vehicle apparently patrols the street — but not necessarily to protect other drivers.

Instead, the Camaro, which has only one working headlight, allegedly challenges drivers to races. As one might expect, that scenario rarely ends well.

Other reportedly haunted roads in America

But Riverdale Road isn’t the only U.S. byway believed to be haunted. Here are three other urban legends involving streets:

Strasbourg Street

There’s a legend about driving on Strasbourg Street in Detroit late at night. As drivers approach a stop sign on the desolate street, looking to their left, they’ll see a small girl standing on the sidewalk. After looking away from the worrying sight, motorists hear a “knock-knock” on the driver’s side window. They turn to see the girl there, her sad eyes looking back at them. The belief is she’s looking for the driver who killed her.

Jeremy Swamp Road

Travelers in Southbury, Connecticut, might want to avoid Jeremy Swamp Road. Legend has it that drivers of vehicles that stall on the road have mysteriously disappeared before tow trucks arrive. Motorists are believed to be attacked by small humanoids called “Melon Heads,” subjects of urban legends in some U.S. states, Travel & Leisure reports.

Prospectors Road

Prospectors Road stretches through Garden Valley, an area involved in the California Gold Rush of the 1800s. Its urban legend involves a miner killed for his gold, and now he haunts Prospectors Road.

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