The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stepped up its investigation into complaints of trouble with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles electronic gear selector used in the newer Jeep Grand Cherokee and other models.
The agency first opened an inquiry in August after receiving numerous reports of rollaways. In more than a dozen cases, drivers claimed the lever had been placed into ‘Park’ before a rollaway occurred.
A deeper look at the government complaint database reveals 306 rollaway incidents in the 2014-2015 Grand Cherokee, resulting in 117 alleged crashes and 28 reported injuries. Several of the accidents are claimed to have resulted in hospitalization to address serious injuries, ranging from internal organ damage to broken ribs and a fractured kneecap.
The vehicles are outfitted with a shift-by-wire system that allows the driver to change gears by pushing a T-shape lever that springs back to centered position, rather than remaining in each detent position like a traditional mechanically-operated system. Drivers are warned with a chime if their door is opened while not in Park, and the selected gear is indicated via illuminated letters on the dash and shifter. Adding one last layer of safety, the engine cannot be turned off when the transmission is not in Park.
“This function does not protect drivers who intentionally leave the engine running or drivers who do not recognize that the engine is still running,” the agency wrote in its latest investigation update. “NHTSA testing … indicates that operation … is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection.”
The NHTSA has not yet claimed the system is physically defective or non-compliant with federal safety guidelines. Officials have nonetheless initiated an engineering analysis to assess the “safety-related consequences of the alleged defect.” The same shift lever has been used in the 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300.
Following Toyota’s unintended-acceleration recalls, the NHTSA has declined to pursue other seemingly related recalls after determining that the later complaints were due to driver error rather than mechanical defect. The agency is now in a unique position to consider if a defect can be declared based on a combination of insufficiently-intuitive design and drivers’ bad habits.
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