The recall confusion surrounding the death of actor Anton Yelchin is driving some Jeep Grand Cherokee owners crazy.
Drivers of the same recently recalled model of the vehicle that rolled backward onto the “Star Trek” star complained they are getting mixed messages from automaker Fiat Chrysler.
The cause of Yelchin’s accident is still under investigation, but panicked owners have called dealerships to see if their SUVs are safe. Some were told that there would be no fix for the electronic gear shifter that has confused some drivers about whether the SUV is safely in park or not until the end of the year — yet Chrysler announced Wednesday night that it will start rolling out a software upgrade as early as Friday.
And even before that announcement was made, dealerships told The Daily News that they were already making appointments to reprogram affected SUVs. Some were even booked through mid-July.
“I’m not satisfied with their response,” Kayla Pillitteri, a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee owner and mother of two from Wallkill, N.Y., told The Daily News.
She was trying to upgrade her digital shifter for two weeks before Yelchin’s fatal accident — after her own scare with the shifter.
“It was so scary because my kids [ages 2 and 7 months old] were in the car,” she said, recalling the time she pulled over, got out and walked around the back of the Jeep that she believed was in park to give her son his cup.
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| Recalled Jeep Grand Cherokee drivers left spinning their wheels after Anton Yelchin death |
Pillitteri said she never received the April 2016 recall notice for 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees, 2012-14 Chrysler 300s and Dodge Chargers after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 212 crashes, 308 claims of property damage and 41 injuries were related to drivers exiting their vehicles without realizing the electronic shift levers were not in the park position.
She only learned about the recall while she was getting her Jeep serviced for something else. “I was very upset,” she said, and contacted Chrysler. “I have two young kids and don't feel safe driving [this] car. They told me nothing could be done.”
Paul Hughes, 55, who drives a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo in South Carolina, was spooked after his SUV almost hit someone at a gas station four months ago. Although he was certain that the vehicle was turned off and in park, the Jeep rolled after he got out.
“It started rolling forward toward the car in front of me. That person was in between the vehicles,” he said. “I jumped back in and put the brake on. I don’t think the person in front of me knew it happened, but I did, and my wife sure did.”
He said he “felt like an idiot” at first, believing he had made a mistake, which is why he didn’t report it. He was vindicated after the recall notice went out. “I actually went to my wife and said, ‘See, it wasn’t me!’” he said.
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| Recalled Jeep Grand Cherokee drivers left spinning their wheels after Anton Yelchin death |
But he also hasn’t heard anything from the automaker since the April recall. “The last info I have is that they should have a solution later in the year,” he said.
Henry Jaderlund, a filmmaker from Newport News, Virginia, showed The Daily News a picture of the recall notice that Fiat Chrysler sent to him in April which reads, “FCA is working to finalize a remedy by the 4th quarter of 2016.”
“What’s crazy is they sent a notice, and it clearly says there is no remedy for the issue ... and now all of a sudden, they have some fix after someone is killed,” he said.
Chrysler tried clarifying the mixed messages in its Wednesday statement, explaining that it sped up its service launch by several months. It reported that the acceleration began in May — a month before Yelchin’s fatal accident. And that expedited response would be responsible for the disconnect between dealerships and service reps, as some locations have received the software upgrades before others.
But Clarence Ditlow, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety consumer advocacy group, blames the chaos surrounding drivers and dealerships squarely on the parent company.
“The confusion is all due to Chrysler. They essentially botched this recall from day one,” he said. “The government opened an investigation in 2015, and Chrysler still didn’t do a voluntary recall.
“The 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t have the electronic shifter,” he added. “So if you remodeled your engineering plans to put a different shifter in, how come you didn't do something about the cars that are already on the road?”
But Fiat Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne countered that the electronic shifters were removed from the 2016 model to improve customer satisfaction for drivers who prefer a more tactile shift, not because the shifters are faulty.
“The shifter will function as intended if operated according to instructions,” he told The Daily News.
This was laid out in the recall notice sent to Jeep owners in April, he added, along with a guide pulled from the owners’ manual that refreshes users on how to use the electronic shifter properly.
“In a nutshell, anyone who received a recall notice already has all the info he/she needs,” he said.
Mayne also argued that Chrysler has handled the recall with speed and transparency. “This recall execution has been on an accelerated pace from the earliest stages, and the acceleration is continuing,” he said. “A ‘botched’ response would be something else.”
So what should you do? Recalled Jeep owners can call their local dealerships to request service appointments. They will need to provide their VIN number to confirm that their vehicle is part of the recall. Right now, the software upgrade is only available for models with 3.6L and 5.7L engines — the majority of the Jeeps that are part of the recall. Service on the remaining vehicles is said to be “imminent,” and owners should receive additional letters further clarifying the recall process in the near future.
For now, many jittery Jeep owners are proceeding with caution.
Jaderlund said “someone from Chrysler” called him and told him to park his Jeep, permanently, while they send him a loaner car. Hughes and Pillitteri got no such offer, and will continue driving their Jeeps.
“I don’t have another option,” Pillitteri said. “I’m using my emergency brake in the meantime.”
Source: www.nydailynews.com
