Fiat Chrysler steps up recalls after actor’s death, now wants 13,000 Maserati cars back for rollaway issue
Fiat Chrysler is accelerating the recall of cars in the US that could be at risk of rolling away after drivers mistakenly thought they had put the car in park.
The world's seventh largest car maker is is recalling 13,092 Quattroporte and Ghibli luxury cars in the US, through its Maserati unit.
Earlier this year Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.1m vehicles around the world over a confusing gear-shift lever. One of the models was the Jeep Grand Cherokee that was involved in the death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin earlier this week.
Yelchin, who was 27, died after his car pinned him against a fence in Los Angeles. It hasn't yet been determined if the confusing gear box was to blame for his death.
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It's thought the recall order that included the Jeep Grand Cherokee is linked to 41 injuries, 212 crashes and 308 reports of property damage.
The latest recall — filed with federal regulators on 8 June and revealed today— affects certain 2014 model-year Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli vehicles assembled from June 1, 2013, through to the end of February 2014.
Maserati is investigating whether it can fix the issue via a software update that will stop the gear stick returning to its default position.
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Maserati told the US he National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the cars:
May mislead owners about which gear the vehicle is in and may not adequately warn the driver when driver's door is opened and the vehicle is not in park, allowing them to exit the vehicle while the vehicle is still in gear.