Assembled in Italy with FCA Small Wide 4x4 LWB underpinnings from the Jeep Compass, the Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale have been recalled to the tune of 1,201 vehicles. According to FCA US LLC, subject crossovers don't comply with FMVSS 110 due to a manufacturer label devoid of the federally mandated tire and rim information.
Stellantis Europe S.p.A. was notified about the recall condition on February 26. The European division reviewed production data and records through March 8, determining that a small number of vehicles had been shipped to the United States with iffy manufacturer labels. Not surprising in the least, the remedy comes in the form of a label overlay with the required tire and rim info.
FCA US LLC will notify dealers on May 8, the day owners will be informed about recall number 24V-209 via first-class mail. The easiest way to determine whether a vehicle is recalled in this part of the world is to run the 17-character VIN on the NHTSA's recall portal. Alternatively, owners can do exactly that on the automaker's website.
Affected vehicles were produced from January 15 to February 13 for the Hornet and January 15 to February 10 for the pricier Alfa Romeo Tonale. Of the aforementioned population, the Hornet comprises 1,189 units and the Tonale only 12.
Dodge's compact-sized crossover is available in four distinct configurations: the internal combustion-powered GT and GT Plus, along with the plug-in hybrid R/T and R/T Plus. The beating heart of the GT and GT Plus is the 2.0-liter Hurricane four-cylinder turbo, which you already know from the Jeep Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, and Compass.
Photo: Alfa Romeo
In this application, it belts out 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) of torque at full chatter. The only transmission available is the ZF 9HP-derived Chrysler 948TE nine-speed automatic. Exclusively all-wheel drive, the GT and GT Plus are rated at 24 miles per gallon (9.8 liters per 100 kilometers) on the EPA's combined test cycle.
The R/T and R/T Plus bring together a 1.3-liter turbo four-cylinder, a six-speed automatic supplied by Aisin, and a 15.5-kWh battery pack from Chinese manufacturer SVOLT. Without any sort of hybrid assistance, the R/T and R/T Plus are good for up to 29 miles per gallon (7.3 liters per 100 kilometers). Their zero-emission driving range is estimated by the EPA at 32 miles (51 kilometers).
Dodge claims 288 horsepower for the plug-in hybrid setup of the Hornet R/T and R/T Plus, whereas the Alfa Romeo brand advertises the Tonale with 285 horsepower on deck. Maximum torque is estimated at 383 pound-feet (519 Nm) and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm), respectively.
Considering that Dodge wants $31,400 for the Hurricane-powered GT as opposed to $43,845 for the PHEV-only Alfa Romeo Tonale, the Hornet sells much better than its Italian stablemate. Last year, FCA US LLC delivered 9,314 examples of the Hornet compared to 2,096 units of the Tonale.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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