Back in February, it was reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was looking into certain Fiat Chrysler vehicles because there was a chance that their electric shifters could cause the car to roll away after being parked. Now, FCA has announced that they are voluntarily recalling some 1.1 million vehicles that are equipped with this potentially problematic ZF eight-speed shifter, which is pictured at the right.
The models affected are the 2012-2014 Dodge Charger, the 2012-2014 Chrysler 300, and the 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Of these 1.1 million vehicles, 811,000 are in the U.S., 52,000 are in Canada, and 17,000 are in Mexico. The remainder are outside of North America.
The issue is that, because the ZF shifter is electronic, there is no physical "Park" or "Drive" position for the shifter. Instead, the light on the shifter handle changes from "D" to "P," and vice versa, to indicate which gear the car is in.
As a result, many of these people watched their cars drive away on their own. FCA says they know of about 41 injuries related to these incidents, but insists there is nothing wrong with these cars. "The vehicles involved in these events were inspected, and no evidence of equipment failure was found," the company said.
The cars are equipped with a warning chime that sounds if a driver opens their door without first putting their vehicle in park.
FCA's recall plan will "combine [additional] warnings with a transmission-shift strategy to automatically prevent a vehicle from moving, under certain circumstances, even if the driver fails to select 'PARK.'"
ZF Group, the German producer of chassis and power train technology who developed this shifter, is expected to cover the costs of the recall, rather than FCA.
NAFA Fleet Management Association
http://www.nafa.org/