Chrysler announced Monday that it is recalling nearly 700,000 cars due to a problem with the ignition switches similar to GM.
Chrysler, the renowned American automobile brand, is once again recalling vehicles due to the controversial ignition switch problem. The car maker announced Monday that it is adding 700,000 more vehicles to an earlier recall to fix the ignition switches. The latest recall involves 2008 and 2009 models of Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravans as well as some 2009 Dodge Journey SUVs.
This is a follow-up of the car maker's previous recalls of 196,000 2010 model Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Grand Caravan and Dodge Journey vehicles. The issue is about ignition switches that may slip out of the "run" position in events such as hitting a pothole. This could shut off the engine as well as the airbags, exposing drivers and passengers to severe injuries in case of a crash.
Chrysler said there were no reports of injuries or accidents related to the issue.
Despite the extended recall, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fears the remedy to the ignition switch problem may not effectively correct the air bags' deployment issue, USA Today reports.
"While Chrysler's expanded recall ... does not address agency concerns regarding the effectiveness of the remedy, specifically the possibility that the defect may result in non-deployment of the vehicles' air bags," NHTSA said in a statement, according to the report. "NHTSA is requesting additional information from Chrysler to aid the agency's investigation and will take appropriate action based on its findings."
Chrysler will contact the owners of the affected car models and install a stronger wireless ignition node module detent ring for better endurance. Most vehicles in the recall are in the United States (525,206), while some cars are also from Canada, Mexico and outside North America.
This investigation by authorities and recall by the car makers is to avoid a situation like General Motors', which recalled 2.5 million cars with ignition switch faults linking to at least 13 deaths. The car maker is facing legal action for turning a deaf ear to the fault.
