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.
Chrysler Group’s decision to reject a recall request for 2.7 million aging Jeep SUVs caught the automotive industry — and the media — by surprise.
It’s a rare event when an automaker says no to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well it should be.
Chrysler Group said today it does not intend to honor a request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall as many as 2.7 million Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs. NHTSA said a recall is needed to address safety problems with the vehicles’ fuel systems.
Chrysler is recalling 469,000 Jeep SUVs worldwide because they can shift into neutral without warning on startup.
Chrysler Group LLC is recalling more than 247,000 SUVs and cars for several problems, including faulty gas tank hoses, broken drive shafts and air bag warning lights that illuminate when there’s no problem.
The largest of the recalls, posted Tuesday on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, covers about 139,000 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years. The automaker says that faulty wiring can cause the air bag warning lights to illuminate.
