2014/2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Shifters Under “Analysis”
If you own a 2014 or 2015 Grand Cherokee and have had a problem figuring out whether your vehicle is in park, you’re not the only one.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the owners of more than 856,000 vehicles built by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles could run the risk of mistakenly thinking their car is in Park.
The issue, which started with 400,000 Grand Cherokees, centers on the push-button console shift lever design that looks like a traditional PRNDL shifter but operates more like a joystick, which can lead one to believe the vehicle is in Park, even when it’s not. To date, there have been more than 314 roll-away incidents, involving 121 crashes and 30 injuries that might be attributed to the system, according to a Road and Track report based on the NHTSA’s investigation.
The shifter has been changed for 2016 model Grand Cherokees.
In addition to the 2014 and 2015 Grand Cherokee, the affected vehicles also include V6 equipped 2012 – 2014 Dodge Chargers and 2012 – 2014 Chrysler 300s. Currently, the incidents are being investigated as an “engineering analysis,” according to the report.
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Via [Road and Track]