The 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee faces a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation over reports of rollaways.
The agency has received at least 14 complaints claiming the vehicle began to roll away after the shift lever had been placed in ‘park.’ Several complaints even allege injuries as passengers attempt to exit the moving vehicle or when the driver steps out and is struck by the door.
“I pushed the gear shift up into park and opened my door to step out of the vehicle … as I stepped out the vehicle started moving backwards and the driver door struck me, knocking me to the ground on my back,” one complaint reads. “The left front tire rolled over my pelvic area causing serious injury.”
Another owner blames the “counterintuitive movements” and lack of detente or clear gear positions as the driver moves the shift lever past the ‘reverse’ position on the way to ‘park.’
“From the ['drive'] position, putting the car into ‘park’ most often it stops in ['reverse'],” another owner observes. “Thinking you have selected ‘park’ and begin to exit, the car is actually in ‘reverse’ … There is no feel as to engaging ‘park’ since they changed the design to this electronic shifter.”
The NHTSA is now opening a preliminary investigation to determine if there is a defect or if the behavior is simply driver error and, in either case, if a recall is warranted.
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