Another day, another automobile recall.
It's Chrysler's turn as the car maker announces the recall of almost 900,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs.
This recall has the distinction of being the company's largest of the year, but then again it's only July. Model years from 2011 through 2014 are included. Of the total vehicles being recalled, 651,000 are located in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are currently hosting 68,700 of them, while the remainder are located across other hemispheres and continents.
The new recall was prompted by a rather unique flaw - faulty wiring in vanity mirror lights (that illuminate the mirror in sun visors) could enable short circuiting and start a fire.
The recall only focuses on vehicles that have had either the mirrors or the roof headliner serviced, although for precautionary reasons the recall extends to all vehicles. The wires are located in the sun visor, and could short-circuit if not correctly reassembled by the dealer.
Chrysler will contact customers who own the affected vehicles and advise them when service is available for the free repairs. The corrective measure that Chrysler will take is to install a spacer that will keep the suspect wires separated.
The company has tracked three injuries and 62 reports of fire that can be traced to vehicles that have had their mirrors or roof headliners serviced.
Less than two weeks ago, Chrysler issued a recall of 525,206 vehicles due to an electrical issue with the ignition system that could cause the ignition switch to turn off inadvertently. The sudden, unintended shut down of the engine could lead to loss of control of the vehicle, loss of power steering and brakes and other safety systems. In case of a resulting accident, lack of electrical power would also prevent the air bags from deploying.
Vehicles affected by this recall include certain 2009-2010 Dodge Journey vehicles and 2008-2010 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles.
Chrysler advised owners of these vehicles to take precautionary measures until fixed by a Chrysler dealer. These recommendations included removal of key fobs and/or all items from the key fob that contains the ignition key. Chrysler also warned that "road conditions or some other jarring event" may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Chrysler has agreed to modify the ignition switch but has not yet provided a schedule for owner notification. Owners can proactively contact their Chrysler dealer to have the work done as soon as possible.
