Toledo plant’s woes add to Chrysler’s

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR, BELVIDERE — The launch of the redesigned Jeep Wrangler and all-new Dodge Nitro is behind schedule because of defects and quality issues at the Toledo, Ohio, Jeep Assembly complex, according to the Toledo Blade.

Workers are putting together more than 200 Wranglers a day at the $900 million, multiplant complex, but none have been shipped to dealers because of defects, according to local United Auto Workers officials.

DaimlerChrysler workers at one of the Toledo plants are building 50 Dodge Nitros and 750 Jeep Libertys a day on two shifts. Original plans called for workers to begin producing 60 percent Nitros and 40 percent Libertys on three shifts this week, but that was moved back to next week.The Toledo troubles come on the heels of robot problems at its assembly plant in Belvidere, where workers assemble the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass, and eventually, the Jeep Patriot.

Frequent shutdowns in the Belvidere plant’s automated body shop have put workers thousands behind on Caliber and Compass orders. The Caliber got off to a strong sales start, seeing sales grow to 12,422 by May, the car’s fourth month on dealer floors. But Caliber sales dropped in June and then precipitously in July not because of a lack of popularity but because not enough of the combination sporty coupe/SUVs are coming out of the plant.

The Belvidere and Toledo plants will produce half of the 10 vehicles Chrysler is rolling out this year, and the company invested more than $1.3 billion in the two operations.

DaimlerChrysler officials will release August sales figures on Sept. 1.

Photo Credit: http://www.dodge.com/autoshow/img/gallery/enlarge/nitro/17_nitro_gallery.jpg