The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Chrysler" ...
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Profiting from the Auto-Bailout
September, 2012 the Obama campaign launched television ads blasting Romney’s November 2008 New York Times op-ed, “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” In an article for The Nation Magazine, funded by The Nation Investigative Fund we discovered that Ann Romney, personally gained at least $15.3 million from the bailout—and a few of Romney’s most important Wall Street donors made more than $4 billion. Their gains, and the Romneys’, were astronomical—more than 3,000 percent on their investment. It all starts with Delphi Automotive, a former General Motors subsidiary whose auto parts remain essential to GM’s production lines. No bailout of GM—or Chrysler, for that matter—could have been successful without saving Delphi. So, in addition to making massive loans to automakers in 2009, the federal government sent, directly or indirectly, more than $12.9 billion to Delphi—and to the hedge funds that had gained control over it. One of the hedge funds profiting from that bailout— $1.28 billion at the time of publication — was Elliott Management, directed by Romney supporter, Paul Singer.
Tags: Bailout; political campaign; Obama; Romney; Paul Singer
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Jeep Grand Cherokee Investigation
Currently, there are “three million Jeep Grand Cherokees on the road today”. Furthermore, they have been involved in “hundreds of fatal fire accidents in the past 11 years”. The investigation revealed a flaw in the vehicle; the fuel tank is located in the rear of the vehicle. This flaw is the main cause of these fatal deaths. After these accidents had occurred, the automaker has relocated the gas tank in a more secure location and since then zero accidents have occurred.
Tags: Chrysler; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; SUVs; consumers; automobiles; crash; damage; defect; auto safety; transportation
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America's Corporate Royalty
This group of stories ran throughout all of 2008. In a year in which bad decisions by corporate leaders led the country into financial crisis, the ABC News investigative team produced a series of reports on America's corporate royalty -- the CEOs who used their company treasuries not only to enrich and pamper themselves, but to gain advantage in the courts and Congress, with scant regard for the country's democratic principles.
Tags: bailout; economic collapse; Big Three; Lehman Brothers; Wall Street; Ford; Chrysler; General Motors
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Durango Dangers
This investigation exposed a dangerous flaw in the design of the Dodge Durango, a popular SUV. It found that the upper ball joints, part of the wheel structure, may wear out and cause drivers to lose control of the vehicle. The investigation resulted in many complaints to NHTSA from Durango drivers, and an eventual recall of the vehicle.
Tags: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; vehicle design; highway driving; Dodge; DaimlerChrysler
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Hidden text shows SCO prepped lawsuit against BofA
News.com uses a feature in Microsoft Word (viewing document under 'original showing markup' or 'final showing markup') to track changes made to SCO Group's documents. The final document showed that SCO filed a lawsuit against DaimlerChrysler, but the original document was prepared to sue Bank of America.
Tags: Microsoft Word; computers; SCO; technology; Unix
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Don't Walk: Why Labor Unions Have Grown Reluctant To Use the 'S' Word
The Journal reports on the decline in the number of strikes and union protests in the 1980s and 1990s. "...For many unions, using the sword can get a lot of people hurt -- starting with union members. The calculus of labor relations is indeed different these days. Workers have become shareholders. Technology and globalization can put jobs at risk even when a union has "job security" written into its contract."
Tags: employment; labor; workers; stocks; Ford; GM; Chrysler
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A Twist in Torts
Car companies are digging in against frivolous lawsuits regarding air bags. Since the government requires that the bags inflate in a fraction of a second, they can possibly injure people as well as save lives. The percentage of deaths or serious injury due to air bags is small compared to the number currently in use. Instead of settling quickly in lawsuits, the car companies are saying that, "cost is no object in these cases."
Tags: torts; tort reform; lawsuits; air bags; autos; cars; automobiles; vehicles; Chrysler; dodge; juries; General Motors; Ford; liability; law; legal
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Trucks, Darlings of Drivers, Are Favored by the Law, Too
The Times reports on the enormous success of Chrysler's new SUV, Dodge Durango, and other light trucks. Auto dealers are happy to sell more; the consumers are happy to buy more. But what is the price of the deal? "If the Durango and most other sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and mini-vans were classified as cars, they would violate federal standards for pollution and gasoline consumption aimed at protecting the environment and conserving energy." The story finds that light trucks enjoy lower standards thanks to the combined lobbying muscle of dealers and manufacturers.
Tags: SUVs; light trucks; pollution; environment; gasoline consumption; global warming; emissions; GM; Ford; lobbying
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Costly Verdict: Why One Jury Dealt A Big Blow to Chrysler in Minivan-Latch Case
The Journal reports on the threat of high-profile safety litigation looming over the auto industry. The story focuses on deaths caused by defects in Chrysler minivans, and the subsequent lawsuits.
Tags: fatalities; GM; Ford; federal safety standards; door latches; C/K pickup trucks; liftgates
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Fueling the Flames
A KSTP-TV Eyewitness news investigation found a serious design flaw in the Jeep brand automobiles. In low-speed, rear-impact collisions, passenger doors have tended to jam and the gas tank tears loose, emptying into the passenger compartment. KSTP-TV's investigative reporter Jay Kolls found that five people have died in slow speed crashes because of trapped doors, but Daimler-Chrysler and American Motors (the company that formerly made Jeep vehicles) knew about the defect since the 1980s and failed to make any changes.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; transportation; accidents; Jeep; CAR; NHTSA; FARS