Chrysler says it will resume Jeep Cherokee production on 2nd shift in Toledo

9/26/2013

Chrysler Group LLC said today that it will resume production of the Jeep Cherokee on two shifts starting Monday.

The company temporarily idled the afternoon shift at the Toledo Assembly Complex at the end of last week, resulting in the temporary layoff of about 500 employees. The decision to scale back production was made primarily because the company had yet to ship any vehicles to dealers. Chrysler was also doing additional testing on vehicles it had already produced.

The company said today it was able to expedite the process.  

"As we continue to refine the vehicle’s powertrain software, we are implementing a plan that will allow us to make the required updates more quickly than anticipated, thereby making additional layoffs unnecessary at this time," Chrysler spokesman Jodi Tinson said in a statement to The Blade. 

It wasn't immediately clear when Chrysler would begin shipping the vehicles to dealerships. Previously officials said the first Cherokees would be in dealerships by the end of this month.