Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Friday that it planned to recall about 1.8 million Ram pickup trucks that could be shifted out of park without the driver’s foot on the brake.
The company initiated the action after gathering reports of seven people suffering minor injuries and a “small number” of crashes that might be linked to the problem.
Fiat Chrysler said that based on those reports — from owners, dealers and other sources — it had traced the issue to a part known as a brake transmission shift interlock, a device that normally prevents a vehicle from shifting out of park until the brake pedal is depressed.
The company said it had found that heat could build up around the gearshift under particular circumstances — when the truck is idling in park and the driver keeps his foot on the brake. After prolonged exposure to heat, the shift interlock can fail to work properly, the company said.
