The Dodge Durango is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for potential fires that apparently start under the driver’s seat… while the vehicle is parked…and the ignition is off. The investigation covers 118,000 Durangos between the 2001 – 2003 model years. So far, at least ten complaints have been filed, and NHTSA is opening up an engineering analysis. If you’ve got one, you’ll be notified – one way or another.

Talk about being on the hot seat.
Driving around in a flaming Durango may get a lot of attention, but it’s clearly not what Dodge had in mind just before the launch of the silly season, meaning the time of year when domestic automakers get all creative (read: desperate) in discounting their automobiles. Starting July 1, we’ll see the debut of employee pricing from Chrysler, with this twist – a 30-day money-back guarantee. That’s just in case, you know, you decide to buy a Honda or something. The guarantee is not official, and Chrysler is apparently also thinking about the now – standard zero percent financing deal. If they go with the guarantee, however, it will likely come with a miles penalty. This is great news for car buyers, because if Chrysler’s doing it, GM will do it – with what reports claim is a zero percent offer for 60 months. Ford, by the way, is still offering its Drive On Us summer offer: 0 percent financing and a debit card worth up to $1,100. Cash rebates are also available on Ford vehicles. Any day now, one of these automakers just may launch the Lot Boy Giveaway – just come on down and grab yourself some keys off the lot boy!