Part Shortages Hurts Jeep Production

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV says a shortage of steering wheels prompted it to trim production of its popular Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SUVs on Tuesday and suspend production entirely at its Toledo, Ohio, complex on Wednesday and Thursday.

Production was suspended for less than a day Wednesday at FCA’s Jefferson North factory in Detroit, but resumed this morning. The disruption did not affect output of Jeep Wrangler SUVs.

FCA says any decision to resume output on Friday will be made on a shift-by-shift basis. Automotive News, which first reported the problem, blames the shortage on a factory in Mexico operated by Sterling Heights, Mich.-based Key Safety Systems Inc.