The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, has released safety information regarding a certain automobile’s cruise control settings. Some of these models include the Ram 1500 pickup, Ram 2500, Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Pacifica minivan, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Journey and Durango, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, all from 2014-2018. They have strongly encouraged car owners to follow a warning from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to stop using cruise control on their vehicles until certain things have been repaired.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH FIAT CHRYSLER’S CRUISE CONTROL?
FCA is recalling 4.8 million vehicles to repair a defect that could potentially prevent the cruise control system from disconnecting. If the error does happen, the driver may be able to stop the car by jamming on the brake pedal and then placing the car into park once it has fully stopped. Drivers can also:
- Shift the transmission into neutral
- Apply the manual brake
- Put the vehicle into park once stopped
FCA has stated that only one incident related to this cruise control malfunction has been reported, and there were no injuries. The issue can be triggered when the driver accelerates while driving under cruise control, which he or she might do if they are trying to maintain their speed while climbing a hill. This could possibly cause a short circuit in the cruise control system, according to FCA. The FCA has agreed to conduct a no-cost software update to fix the short circuit for anyone who brings their car into the dealership.
NHTSA encourages FCA drivers to check their website and confirm if their vehicle model is included in the recall. If you have suffered an injury in an accident due to a car defect, you should contact our auto accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Stanley A. Davis today for a free consultation.