Ah, Chrysler -- we know ye too much, lately.
The company has just piled on to the recall-o-mania that is sweeping the automotive industry this year by issuing a recall for up to 792,300 Jeep Commanders and Grand Cherokees for an ignition switch that can easily and inadvertently be moved from the "On" position while the vehicle is in motion.
Last month, Chrysler recalled almost 900,000 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans for the same issue. For those keeping score, that's over 1.6 million Chrysler products recalled for the same faulty ignition switch. No injuries were reported in that recall.
Model years included in this recall are the 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and the 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both are SUVs.
The company claims "Preliminary investigation suggest an outside force, usually attributed to contact with the driver's knee, may move ignition keys from the 'on' position in these cars. Such an occurrence may cause engine stall, reducing braking power and making steering effort more difficult. Safety features such as frontal airbags may also be disabled."
Of the total of 792,300 vehicles that may be affected, 649,900 are located in the U.S.; 28,800 in Canada; 12,800 in Mexico; and 100,800 elsewhere in the world.
The Commander is no longer in production, while the Grand Cherokee has been completely redesigned.
Chrysler engineers are working on a fix; in the meantime, the company is in the process of finding the affected customers and notifying them by mid-September about scheduling their recall service. Cost of repairs will be carried completely by Chrysler.
Until repairs are completed, Chrysler is advising owners of these vehicles to assure there is clearance between their knees and the keys. Owners are also encouraged to remove all items from their key rings except the ignition key.
Fortunately for all concerned, Chrysler reports no injuries and only one accident attributable to the problem. Complaints about the issue involve only 0.015 percent of the subject vehicle population.
As reported by Tech Times, General Motors recently recalled 3.16 million cars for the same problem, same repercussions. The GM recall was necessitated by the deaths of 13 drivers of Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion cars. The recall was expanded by 8.45 million vehicles at the end of June.
The automobile industry has now crossed the 40 million vehicles recalled mark this year, already well beyond the 33 million that were recalled last year, which was a record at the time.
