Chrysler recalls nearly 630,000 Jeeps to fix transmissions, airbags, seat belts

Chrysler Group said it will recall more than 220,000 units of the Jeep Wrangler to fix a transmission flaw and 409,000 units of the Jeep Compass and Patriot worldwide to fix a software glitch that could stop airbags and seat belts from working in a crash.

The recalls add to a growing list of safety problems at Chrysler, which stunned the auto industry this week by taking the rare step of rebuffing a recall request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On Tuesday, Chrysler refused to recall 2.7 million units of the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-07 Jeep Liberty, claiming that the vehicles were built in compliance with safety standards and are not more accident-prone than other vehicles of the time.

Today’s recalls are unrelated.

They involve different Jeep models from different model years, and different components of the vehicles. Still, they could compound public concerns about the safety of Jeep vehicles.

The first new recall affects 2012 and 2013 Wranglers with 3.6-liter engines and automatic transmissions. A flaw in vehicles built between Jan. 23, 2011, and Feb. 23, 2013, can cause the power steering line to rub on the transmission oil cooler line, wearing a hole that can leak transmission fluid.