Chrysler Cuts Cherokee Production

Chrysler Group LLC has dropped second-shift output of its 2014 Jeep Cherokee SUV in Toledo, Ohio, for two weeks because of a snag shipping already-produced vehicles to dealers, according to the Toledo Blade.

Suspending the shift, which had been added in mid-August, idles about 500 workers and reassigns another 600 elsewhere in the Toledo production complex.

Chrysler says it has produced about 9,400 of the all-new Cherokee since late June. But the company confirms none of those vehicles has reached dealers yet. Shipments were delayed in part by a decision to update software that would make the Cherokee's new 9-speed automatic transmission operate more smoothly.

The company said previously that the model, which features a dramatically restyled front end, would begin high-volume sales in the third quarter.