Fiat Chrysler recalls 1.1m cars worldwide after fears they may roll away

William Watkinson

1.1 million vehicles have been recalled by Fiat Chrysler after 41 people have been injured by cars that have 'rolled away'

Reuters

Car giants Fiat Chrysler has recalled more than 1.1 million cars and SUVs worldwide as the car makers fear they may roll away after drivers leave the vehicles. According to the world's seventh largest auto makers,up to 41 injuries may have been caused to motorists who believed the vehicles had been placed in park mode.

The huge recall covers cars and SUVs whose gearshifts could be confusing. The 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans and 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicles are all covered by the recall.

The Italian-American car maker may need to adjust each of the vehicles to guarantee that they stay stationary under certain circumstances - even if the driver does not place the vehicle in 'park' mode. The manufacturers say that 811,000 US vehicles are affected, along with about 52,000 from Canada.

Another 17,000 in Mexico need to be analysed as well as almost 250,000 vehicles outside North America. The firm did not reveal when a solution will be available.

According to Sky News, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said testing of the cars' electronic gear shifter found it "not intuitive" and that the models provide a "poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection".

The NHTSA added that there was "clearly a safety issue that has led to hundreds of crashes and dozens of injuries". They said in February this year they had reports of 314 complaints, including 121 crashes after vehicles rolled away then collided with homes, other cars or people.

Of those incidents, three people suffered fractured pelvises, while four others required hospital treatment. Bryan Thomas, a spokesman for the NHTSA, said the agency "will be monitoring this recall carefully to ensure that (Fiat Chrysler) produces a safe solution and gets the vehicles remedied as quickly as possible".

In September last year Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.4 million vehicles for a software update amid fears they are susceptible to a bug where hackers could tap into the car's computer system and wrestle control from the driver.