Anton Yelchin's Jeep may have been recalled for rollaway risk

By Stephen Edelstein June 20, 2016

2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin died Sunday morning in what is being called a “freak accident.” The 27-year-old was trapped between his mailbox, mounted on a brick pillar, and his car, which was found in neutral with the engine running. The Los Angeles Police Department concluded that the car rolled backwards down Yeltsin’s steep driveway.

Yelchin’s car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it turns out that certain versions of this model were recently recalled because of a risk that they might roll away unexpectedly, notes Gizmodo, although it is not known whether Yelchin’s vehicle was one of them. The recall was announced in April, and includes 2014- and 2015-model-year Grand Cherokees built between July 16, 2012, and December 22, 2015. The recall, which also included certain Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger models, affected 811,586 vehicles in the U.S.

Related Videos

All affected vehicles are equipped with eight-speed automatic transmissions and electronic shifters, which return to the same position after each movement, so the position of the shifter does not indicate whether the car is in gear. A series of lights do that instead. According to the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall notice, however, this may not provide enough warning.

Read more: Infiniti Q50 recalled for steering-software issues

Vehicle systems may not “adequately warn the driver when the driver’s door is opened and the vehicle is not in Park, allowing them to exit the vehicle while the vehicle is still in gear,” the notice said. Drivers mistakenly thinking their cars are in Park “may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out of the vehicle while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged,” it said. The issue was linked to 121 crashes and 41 injuries.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) issued the recall April 25, and began mailing notices to owners May 14. Owners were reportedly given instructions on how to properly operate the shifter. The company has been aware of this issue for some time; it changed the shifter design on the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger for the 2015 model year, and the Grand Cherokee for the 2016 model year.

It is still not known whether Yelchin’s Jeep was one of the ones affected by this recall, or whether the car accidentally being left in gear was the definitive cause of the accident.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Cars

5 stunning electric SUVs that prove you don’t need to spend $100K for luxury

Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

There’s no denying it — the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ SUV is an incredible car. Sure, the exterior design isn’t for me, and the bulbous nose, while not as bad as on the standard EQS, proves that many carmakers still have no idea what to do with a grille-less design. But sit inside the car and you’re greeted with stunning finishes, beautiful build quality, modern tech, and a super-comfortable ride.

I’ve spent a week testing the EQS 450+ SUV and loved almost everything about it. It has plenty of oomph when you hit the accelerator, and while the suspension is a little mushy, it feels like you’re driving a cloud.

Cars

No mere EV, the sensor-stuffed EX90 is Volvo’s towering tech flagship

Front three quarter view of the 2024 Volvo EX90.

Volvo has reinvented its image over the past decade, taking its cars from stodgy to stylish, and keeping pace with tech developments. Now, it’s trying to do that once again.
The 2024 Volvo EX90 is the Swedish automaker’s new flagship — and it’s electric. This three-row, seven-seat SUV packs all of Volvo’s latest infotainment and safety tech, so its electric powertrain is an important statement of Volvo’s commitment to going all-electric in the future.
The EX90 isn’t a standalone EV. Its styling and tech will set the tone for future Volvos. The business case isn’t EV-specific either. The EX90 has the same form factor as Volvo’s popular XC90 SUV, which it one-ups in tech. Volvo isn’t trying to prove that it can make an EV; it’s already done that with the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge. It’s just trying to make a good car.
“There are no gimmicks in the EX90.” Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan said in a keynote at the EV’s reveal in Stockholm. “All the technology that’s there is there for a reason.” And boy, is there a lot of it.

Stylish and sustainable
The EX90 is a conventional SUV design with the sharp edges shaved away. There isn’t even a hint of a grille, the door handles sit flush with the bodywork, and the wheels have smooth inserts between the spokes. It’s all to help minimize aerodynamic drag — an important consideration for an EV, as it helps increase range.
The result is a coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.29, compared to 0.33 for the current Volvo XC90 three-row SUV (lower numbers are better). The EX90 isn’t the slipperiest electric SUV around; the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV has a 0.26 Cd. But Volvo’s designers retained a more traditional SUV shape, in line with the gasoline Volvo XC90, without resorting to the Jell-O mold shape of the Mercedes.
“The profile and a bit of the plan view is a bit rounder than maybe we’ve done in the past,” Volvo exterior design boss T. Jon Mayer told Digital Trends. “It’s not a jellybean blob by any means, but there are very minute details of how much roundness you put around the edges. This detail work, as well as a longer rear overhang, help keep air flowing smoothly around the car while following the minimalist ethos of Scandinavian design, keeping the bodywork visually clean.
The EX90 is a conventional SUV design with the sharp edges shaved away.

Cars

2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again

Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
Mercedes recently launched two other electric SUVs at opposite ends of the price spectrum. The EQS SUV is positioned as the lineup’s flagship, while the EQB is the entry-level model. The EQE SUV slots between those two in size and, presumably, price. The latter hasn’t been confirmed yet, and likely won’t be until the EQE SUV’s planned March 2023 on-sale date.

Design
As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
The EQE SUV is 0.6 inch narrower and 1.2 inches lower than the EQS SUV, but the most significant difference is in length. The EQE SUV is 10.3 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, with a 2.1-inch shorter wheelbase. And while the EQS SUV has three-row seating, the EQE SUV has two rows. Based on our experience with the EQS SUV’s third row, that’s not a big loss.
The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.