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FCA issues massive recall due to faulty cruise control in 4.8 million cars

Bruce Brown
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Just before the first summer holiday weekend when many people will be on the road, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced a recall of approximately 4.8 million vehicles in the U.S.

Following the recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a consumer advisory on Friday, May 25, strongly encouraging all affected vehicle owners to stop using cruise control.

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FCA is recalling the vehicles because of a defect in the vehicles’ powertrain control modules. According to FCA, in driving conditions such as varying road grades, if a short circuit in a specific part of the vehicle’s electrical network occurs when the cruise control system automatically accelerates to maintain speed, the driver could become unable to cancel cruise control.

According to FCA, “cruise-control acceleration be overpowered by the vehicle’s brakes.” The driver can also shift into neutral and bring the vehicle to a halt. Once the vehicle is put in park, cruise control is canceled.

“Notwithstanding the extraordinary circumstances that must exist before a customer would experience a problem, we are taking this action because we are fully committed to vehicle safety,” FCA Chief Technical Compliance Officer Mark Chernoby said in a statement. “We have a remedy and a widespread network of engaged dealers who are preparing to deliver service. We urge customers to follow the instructions on their recall notices.”

The vehicles involved span six model years. Only vehicles with automatic transmissions and gasoline-powered engines are involved.

The vehicles in the U.S. recall include:

FCA is also recalling vehicles in Canada, Mexico, and other markets.

According to FCA, the company is not aware of injuries or accidents related to the software defect in the affected vehicles.

FCA U.S. stated it will begin alerting customers starting next week to schedule service appointments to correct the software defect. Customers will not be charged for the software correction.

Customers can contact dealers with concerns or call the FCA US Recall Information Center at (866) 220-6747.

The NHTSA asks vehicle owners to report potential safety issues to NHTSA by calling (888) 327-4236 or submitting a complaint online at NHTSA.gov. To find out if your car or truck is included in this or any other recall, you can search the NHTSA website using your vehicle identification number (VIN).

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Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown
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