Do you ignore those auto recall notices we often get in the mail? After the death of Star Trek Actor Anton Yelchin (New Chekov) you should take them a little more seriously.
NOTE: On April 23, the SouthFloridaReporter first reported the Fiat-Chrysler recalls. You can read that story HERE
Yelchin died over the weekend after being reportedly crushed to death when his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled back into him, pinning him against a mail box. Turns out police and Federal Investigators say the 2015 Grand Cherokee WAS APPARENTLY RECALLED to fix a possible transmission shifting problem that allowed the tranny to slip out of park.
Jeep Recalls
The recall notices follow similar problems in earlier Jeep models too. Some reports indicate the recall notices just went out earlier in May.
According to the Center for Auto Safety, NONE of the repairs have been made yet.
Jeep has been plagued with “parts shortages” that have delayed fixing recalled vehicles for quite a while. It took them a few years to have the parts to fix an airbag-inflator recall in my old Jeep WJ. Chrysler advised me I could keep driving it while I waited for the parts, a local dealership warned me to park it till it was fixed.
Published reports indicate Fiat-Chrysler is declining comment on this latest death. I’m told a statement is forthcoming from the Center for Auto Safety on this problem.
Published reports citing NHTSA Govt. reports show the problem has already resulted in 41 reported injuries. Anton Yelchins’ death is expected to be fully investigated by Federal Safety Officials.
Federal Safety Records
According to Federal Safety Records, NHTSA opened a formal investigation into dozens of complaints back in February. it’s looking into possible problems in some 800,000 Chrysler vehicles including 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees, Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300’s..
Per NHTSA’s Investigation Summary:
MANUFACTURER & PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) Products: 2014-15 Grand Cherokee; 2012-14 Charger & 300 w/3.6L engine Population: 856,284 (Estimated) Problem Description: Drivers may exit the vehicle when the engine is running and the transmission is not in Park, resulting in unattended vehicle rollaway. Rollaway incidents may result in serious injuries to the driver or passengers as they exit the vehicle or to other pedestrians in the path of the rolling vehicle.
Read the “action” report here, along with the list of recalled Jeeps
