Recall Redux: Fiat Chrysler Calls Back 600,000 Vehicles for Problems You've Already Heard About
Sudden stalls. Tailgates that open on their own. These issues formed the basis of two Fiat Chrysler recalls in 2018, and, one year later, history is repeating itself.
On Friday, the automaker called back roughly 600,000 Chrysler Pacifica minivans and Ram pickups for the same ghost-in-the-machine phenomena that led to the earlier recalls.
Included in the latest round of recalls are 198,731 U.S. Pacificas hailing from the 2017 to 2019 model years, as well as roughly 410,000 U.S. Ram 1500s, 2500s, and 3500s from the 2015 to 2017 model years, as well as 2019 models built until March 31st of that year. The recall only covers Rams with eight-foot cargo beds (a configuration not included in the earlier recall).
Outside the country’s borders, 8,300 Pacificas in Canada and 1,100 in Mexico face a recall. The Ram tally amounts to 63,753 pickups in Canada and 4,02o south of the border.
In February of 2018, FCA recalled a slew of 2017 Pacificas after deciding the “vehicle’s engine control module (ECM) may incorrectly assess the engine’s operating status,” leading to stalls. This time around, the Pacificas are being recalled after an FCA investigation “discovered a wiring harness may be contaminated with sealer, which may interrupt an electrical circuit.”
“Should this occur, the vehicle may exhibit stalling or intermittent loss of power steering,” the company stated. The company plans to “inspect and clean, as needed, an electrical contact to help ensure reliable battery operation.”
The Ram issue is the same one that led to 2018’s recall of 1.4 million pickups from the same model years. “An investigation by FCA US discovered the power locking mechanisms in the tailgates of these pickups share a small internal component that may break over time. If this were to happen, a vehicle’s tailgate may unlatch,” the company stated.
As no one wants to spill their kid’s dorm furniture all over the interstate at 80 mph (assuming they didn’t make use of straps), owners would be advised to watch their mailbox for that recall notice. It should show up this month. Trucks with manual tailgate locks are not included in the callback.
[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
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FCA's motto: Dodge testing. RAM it into production.
Some auto manufacturers don't run 'em out the door with problems that require the inconvenience to the purchaser for correction. From a recent TTAC article, "(The manufacturer) suspended assembly at its (component) facility over a suspected defect affecting the electric power steering unit of (three) models. What would have been a big issue for some automakers turned into a gargantuan one for (the manufacturer) because (the component facility) accounts for around 60 percent of the company’s global production. When it idled the facility to deal with the affected models, it also had to halt assembly of everything else manufactured there for nearly two weeks." This manufacturer was referred to as struggling by TTAC because of, "Annual Profit Effectively Halved Due to Quality Control Issues". Perhaps FCA should also have struggled a bit.