Fca US LLC

Chrysler Group LLC

Daniel L Brown

Donald F Schmanski

Brian Edward Beechie

Brian D Dwyer

James C Savage

Mark C Azzaretti

John C St Pierre, Jr

Charles Bienenstein

Jacob W Brown

Krishant Patel

Donald R Hughes

A split bushing torque strut isolator assembly for a vehicle is provided. The assembly includes a lower bushing configured to be disposed in a vehicle structural component, a bushing housing configured to be coupled to the vehicle structural component, an upper bushing disposed at least partially within the bushing housing, the upper bushing being separate from the lower bushing, and a torque rod having a first end and a second end, the second end being disposed between the upper and lower bushings. A method of assembling the split bushing torque strut isolator assembly is also provided.

Split bushing torque strut isolator assembly

Methods and systems are described to automatically lock and unlock a front axle disconnect mechanism in an all-wheel drive (AWD) system responsive to driving conditions to reduce parasitic losses and increase fuel efficiency. A control algorithm is described which automatically determines whether the front axle disconnect mechanism should lock or unlock responsive to various sensor readings throughout the vehicle. The sensor readings relate to the driving conditions. Advantageously, the present disclosure automatically decides the best mode for optimum fuel economy while safely responding to driving conditions, and therefore removes the requirement for a driver to select the operating mode.

Methods and systems for controlling an axle disconnect device for an all-wheel drive vehicle

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Ortonville, MI, United States of America

Daniel L Brown