Fiat Chrysler is issuing a callback of more than 86,000 trucks and police cars in North America, as it was discovered that the alternators are suffering from a manufacturing issue that can lead to the engine bursting into flames.
The automaker notes that the recalled cars will get a short circuit fix in the alternators, which should eliminate the threat of cars pulling a Galaxy Note 7 on their drivers and passengers.
From the large number of vehicles, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recalls about 74,833 only in the United States.
According to an official statement from Fiat's U.S. arm, FCA US LLS, a number of alternators might sport a problem in the diodes. This could translate to a short circuit in the alternators, causing the engine to overload, or worse, the vehicle catching fire.
FCA affirms that no accidents were reported in relation to the issue, but it is aware of one potentially related injury.
In other markets, the carmaker is also calling back 1,088 vehicles in Mexico, 10,077 in Canada and 134 from other locations.
The company says the affected vehicles are Ram pickups manufactured between 2007 and 2013, chassis cabs with model numbers 3500, 4500 and 5500, as well as Dodge Charger Pursuits built between 2011 and 2014. Automotive fans might recognize the latter as one of the iconic police cars in use in the United States.
It is not the first time Fiat Chrysler has recalled vehicles in the country either.
In September, Chrysler issued a recall for a whopping 1.9 million cars and SUVs over concerns that airbag and seatbelt defects could lead to fatalities in the event of accidents.
The company noted that manufacturing issues might prevent air bags to deploy and seatbelts to tighten during crashes, but it kept the name of the equipment's builder under wraps.
"The company is aware of three fatalities and five injuries that may potentially be related to this condition," FCA said.
The company vouches that it is no longer fitting its vehicles with the hazardous safety elements. It should be mentioned that the possibly faulty air bags and seatbelt activators were used in FCA's models between between 2010 and 2014.
The cars that got a callback at the time were the Jeep Patriot and Compass (2010 to 2014), Chrysler Sebring (2010), Chrysler 200 (2011 to 2014), Dodge Caliber (2010 to 2012) and Dodge Avenger (2010 to 2014).
Looking at the figures, it looks like about 1.4 million of these vehicles reached U.S. customers, while Canadian drivers bought 143,000 and Mexican drivers purchased 82,000. Buyers from other markets got 284,000 FCA cars with potentially faulty safety equipment.
In April, FCA recalled 1.1 million vehicles after drivers complained that the automatic transmission, specifically the "park" position, was faulty.
