Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Friday announced it is recalling 4.8 million vehicles – including the popular 2018 Jeep Wrangler – after discovering an issue that could prevent drivers from turning off cruise control.
The automaker said no injuries or crashes are related to the large recall, but said it had one report of a 2017 Dodge Journey driver unable to deactivate the cruise control. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Friday it “strongly encourages vehicle owners to follow a warning” to stop using cruise control on the recalled vehicles until repaired.
The recall addresses an unlikely sequence of events, the company noted, that can be triggered when a driver taps on the gas pedal while cruise control is activated, potentially causing a short circuit.
Fiat Chrysler reiterated that at times cruise control systems automatically initiate acceleration to help vehicles maintain driver-selected speeds, including when going up an incline. If an acceleration occurs simultaneously with a short-circuit in a specific electrical network, a driver may be unable to deactivate cruise control.
Should this happen, the vehicle can become locked in cruise control and normal methods for exiting the function, such as tapping the brakes or hitting a designated switch, can stop working. However, FCA said cruise control acceleration can be overpowered by vehicle’s brakes, or by shifting into neutral and braking accordingly.
Regardless of the mitigation strategy, FCA said, the vehicle may be placed in park once it has stopped, at which point cruise-control is cancelled.
“Notwithstanding the extraordinary circumstances that must exist before a customer would experience a problem, we are taking this action because we are fully committed to vehicle safety,” Mark Chernoby, Fiat Chrysler’s chief technical compliance officer, said in a statement.
“We have a remedy and a widespread network of engaged dealers who are preparing to deliver service. We urge customers to follow the instructions on their recall notices.”
Friday’s recall involves a group of gasoline-powered vehicles with automatic transmissions from various model years built from 2014 through the 2019 model year. Most of the vehicles being recalled cover 2014-2018 model years.
The list includes: Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Journey, Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks and Ram 3500/4500/5500 cab chassis trucks.
FCA said it uncovered the issue through tests its engineers had conducted.
The remedy will be provided free of charge, FCA said, and it will begin alerting affected customers as early as next week so they may schedule service appointments.
The company has repeatedly vowed to improve safety procedures after the NHTSA in 2015 imposed $175 million in civil penalties for safety lapses.
Customers with concerns may contact their dealers, FCA said, or call the FCA US Recall Information Center at 866-220-6747.
