Fiat Chrysler’s ‘Confusing’ Gear Shifter Has Caused Over 100 Crashes
USA’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has significantly expanded its investigation into the apparently ‘confusing’ gear shifter found in around 400,000 Grand Cherokees. The organisation is now looking at 856,000 vehicles in total, covering 3.6-litre V6 Grand Cherokees from 2014 and 2015, Dodge Chargers from 2012-2014 and Chrysler 300s from the same period.
The issue is that the electronic shifter - a part made by German firm ZF - returns to the middle position after each selection. It doesn’t feature a park button either, and according to the NHTSA, these two factors have resulted in numerous owners inadvertently exiting their vehicles with the car is still in drive.
The organisation reckons that 306 roll-away incidents involving Grand Cherokees can be attributed to confusion over the selector, allegedly leading to 117 crashes and 28 injuries in the USA. The NHTSA stated that their testing revealed “poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection.”
It’s worth mentioning that the cars in question do have an audible and visual warning that appears if the driver’s door is opened while the vehicle is not in park.
A recall has not yet been issued, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles says that it’s cooperating with the NHTSA’s investigations.
Source: Detroit News
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Funny thing is that Porsche has put these types of shifters in their vehicles along with many other vehicle manufacturers . I do have to agree though they do feel a little weird compared to an auto trans with a physical connection to the gearbox. I find it takes longer to shift into gear sometimes with the software based shifters just because I can’t exactly feel which gear I’m about to put the vehicle into I actually end up having to look at it.
Save the manuals.
I am not sure how to react™ to this.
What you did there, I see it.
And the man who decided that was a good idea was promptly taken to the nearest hilltop at dawn and shot. Mistakes aren’t allowed in Germany.
They took him to the hilltop, but he rolled away before they could shoot him.
You wouldn have that problem…..WITH A MANUAL!
The problem is not from the car,the drivers are IDIOTS.
Step 1: Buy an auto
Step 2:
Step 3: Failure
my dad’s BMW 330d gives an audible warning when you open the door, to let you know the car isn’t in park, and it automatically switches to park when the engine is switched off. I prefer manuals.
I always bash on people who drive automatic cars, saying that they’re too stupid to drive… but now I know that one can be too stupid to drive an auto… faith in humanity is lost.
As a mopar technician, I will agree those shifters suck. You have to bump it forward at least twice, occasionally three times to put the vehicle in park. Not fond of the dial shifters either.