Fiat Chrysler announced today that it’s recalling 4.8 million cars because a short circuit could cause cruise control to accelerate the vehicles without drivers being able to cancel the function. Fiat Chrysler is telling customers to stop using cruise control until the cars are fixed.
Fiat Chrysler is asking owners of those vehicles—which include more than 15 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models—to have their Powertrain Control Modules outfitted with software updates, after the company found that “a driver could be unable to cancel cruise-control” if the cruise control system tries accelerating at the same time as a “short-circuit in a specific electrical network.”
The list of affected vehicles in the U.S. market is massive:
- 2015-17 Chrysler 200 sedan
- 2014-18 Chrysler 300 sedan
- 2017-18 Chrysler Pacifica minivan
- 2015-18 Dodge Challenger coupe
- 2014-18 Dodge Charger sedan
- 2014-18 Dodge Journey CUV
- 2014-18 Dodge Durango SUV
- 2014-18 Jeep Cherokee SUV
- 2014-18 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV
- 2018 Jeep Wrangler
- 2014-19 Ram 1500 pickup
- 2014-18 Ram 2500 pickup
- 2014-18 Ram 3500 pickup
- 2014-18 Ram 3500 cab chassis
- 2014-18 Ram 4500/5500 cab chassis
The company notes that such a failure represents an “unlikely sequence of events,” and goes on to say that these vehicles’ brakes would be able to overpower the cruise control, and that shifting the cars into neutral and depressing the brakes would also work to stop the vehicles.
Fiat Chrysler says it knows of no injuries or accidents related to the cruise control issue, with the affected vehicles having already traveled a total of approximately 200 billion miles.
According to a company spokesperson, Fiat Chrysler noticed the issue, and later—after going through customer data—“found one potential case that matched it,” after which the company announced a recall.
There’s no word on what exactly is causing the short circuit, but Fiat Chrysler says it will start alerting customers as early as next week, and is asking them to avoid using cruise control until they can have a software upgrade installed at the dealership.
Fiat Chrysler is also instituting recalls in other markets including Canada and Mexico.
If you’ve experienced any of these issues, feel free to let us know.