Auburn Hills, Mich. – Feb. 5, 2017 – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has recalled more than 1,200 sport utility vehicles potentially equipped with defective fuel lines, according to documentation submitted to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The campaign affects 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk SUVs manufactured between Oct. 10, 2017, and Dec. 10, 2017. FCA suspects just 5 percent of the models referenced in the recall contain the defective parts.

The Defect

Affected vehicles contain supercharged 6.2-liter engines featuring fuel lines prone to separation due to faulty connectors. When disconnected, the lines leak gasoline into the engine compartment, causing stalling and increasing the likelihood of an engine fire. Consequently, these fixtures pose a serious risk to occupants. However, FCA has yet to receive reports linking the defect to any accidents or injuries.

Timeline of Events

On Dec. 14, 2017, FCA received a Product-Related Issue complaint mentioning an instance of fuel line separation that occurred in a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, prompting the Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance group to open an official investigation. FCA collaborated with Martinrea International, the company that provided the fuel line assemblies used in these models, to analyze explore the issue and pinpoint a root cause. The parts provider soon discovered that a misaligned sensor in its insertion machine had resulted in the manufacture of defective fuel lines prone to disconnection.

Between Dec. 21, 2017, and Jan. 2, 2018, engineers at FCA’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, the production facility from which the defective vehicles originated, reviewed assembly records and identified all of the vehicles potentially equipped with the defective fuel lines. On Jan. 8, the FCA Vehicle Regulations Committee reviewed the matter and decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall. The automaker notified dealers of the impending action Jan. 11.

The Solution

FCA has directed dealers to inspect the vehicles involved in the recall and, if necessary, replace the fuel lines free of charge, according to an NHTSA recall acknowledgement document. The automotive firm intends to notify owners via first-class mail March 2. Those in need of more immediate assistance can contact FCA customer service at (800) 853-1403. Callers should use the internal recall identification code U02. Owners can also connect with the NHTSA directly using its Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Auburn Hills, Mich. – Feb. 5, 2017 – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has recalled more than 1,200 sport utility vehicles potentially equipped with defective fuel lines, according to documentation submitted to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The campaign affects 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk SUVs manufactured between Oct. 10, 2017, and Dec. 10, 2017. FCA suspects just 5 percent of the models referenced in the recall contain the defective parts.

The Defect

Affected vehicles contain supercharged 6.2-liter engines featuring fuel lines prone to separation due to faulty connectors. When disconnected, the lines leak gasoline into the engine compartment, causing stalling and increasing the likelihood of an engine fire. Consequently, these fixtures pose a serious risk to occupants. However, FCA has yet to receive reports linking the defect to any accidents or injuries.

Timeline of Events

On Dec. 14, 2017, FCA received a Product-Related Issue complaint mentioning an instance of fuel line separation that occurred in a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, prompting the Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance group to open an official investigation. FCA collaborated with Martinrea International, the company that provided the fuel line assemblies used in these models, to analyze explore the issue and pinpoint a root cause. The parts provider soon discovered that a misaligned sensor in its insertion machine had resulted in the manufacture of defective fuel lines prone to disconnection.

Between Dec. 21, 2017, and Jan. 2, 2018, engineers at FCA’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, the production facility from which the defective vehicles originated, reviewed assembly records and identified all of the vehicles potentially equipped with the defective fuel lines. On Jan. 8, the FCA Vehicle Regulations Committee reviewed the matter and decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall. The automaker notified dealers of the impending action Jan. 11.

The Solution

FCA has directed dealers to inspect the vehicles involved in the recall and, if necessary, replace the fuel lines free of charge, according to an NHTSA recall acknowledgement document. The automotive firm intends to notify owners via first-class mail March 2. Those in need of more immediate assistance can contact FCA customer service at (800) 853-1403. Callers should use the internal recall identification code U02. Owners can also connect with the NHTSA directly using its Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Auburn Hills, Michigan – Dec. 15, 2017 – Chrysler recently issued a recall of nearly 26,000 Jeep Compass sport utility vehicles from the 2017 and 2018 model years over concerns related to the photo sensor calibrations that may lead to the instrument panel not lighting up during day-to-night transitions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Federal vehicle safety standards require that backlighting for dashboard panels come with at least two brightness settings, but this issue means some Compasses may not meet that standard. Moreover, the dimmer settings on the dashboard panel will not be able to manually override the setting, putting the vehicles out of compliance with federal standards.

In all, about 10 percent of the Compasses in the recall – all produced between July 29 and Sept. 11, 2017 – are expected to carry this defect.

The Defect

Specifically, an investigation found two engineering changes made to the light sensors’ calibrations affected its ability to allow the dashboard panel lighting to transition properly from day mode to night mode. That means that when drivers are operating the vehicle late in the afternoon or before dawn, the dashboard panels might not dim properly as natural light fades.

That issue, in turn, may lead to reduced driver visibility and a higher risk of crash or injury.

Chrysler was able to identify many of the vehicles affected by the issue using part traceability.

Timeline of Events

In mid-October 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration informally asked Chrysler to investigate a complaint about an inability to dim a Compass’s instrument panel cluster. Five days later, the company’s Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance organization started that investigation after reviewing a number of similar complaints and records, and in doing so identified the engineering changes that affected the dimmer.

The same day, Chrysler and the supplier of the parts in question reviewed the light sensor performance to determine just how widespread the issue might have been, then began a thorough search of part numbers and vehicle ID numbers to determine the plants from which these problems may have arisen.

By Oct. 31, Chrysler and the supplier reviewed a sample field return of the panel cluster, and on Nov. 31, Chrysler’s Vehicle Regulations Committee determined it would initiate a recall.

The Solution

Chrysler plans to reimburse owners for any costs they incur – or have already incurred – repairing the issues in the recall, and asks Compass owners send the original receipt or other proof of payment to confirm the cost.

On Nov. 21, Chrysler announced it would notify both dealers and owners of the recall on Jan. 10, 2018.

Auburn Hills, Michigan – Dec. 14, 2017 – Fiat Chrysler USA recently announced the recall of 26,971 Jeep Compasses from the 2018 model year, over concerns that there may be loose inflator mounting nuts in the passenger airbag module assembly.

Specifically, it is believed that a small number of the 2018 Compasses were manufactured outside of specification, with some vehicles having a box of inflator mounting nuts kept above the module assembly area before the airbag inflator was installed. In those instances, nuts could be resting within the airbag assembly and, in case of a crash and airbag deployment, those nuts could become projectiles and significantly increasing the potential for injury.

It’s expected that this defect impacts only about 1 percent of the vehicles in the recall, and all of them were produced between Sept. 4 and Nov. 19, 2017.

The Defect

The issue was first noticed when Chrysler’s Supplier Quality Engineering organization noted a rattle inside the instrument panel of one of the vehicles that would later be recalled. That prompted an investigation, which determined that with the box resting above the assembly area, it was possible for loose nuts to fall into module assembly due to its having multiple openings.

In the event of a crash in which the airbags deploy, it’s possible that these nuts would be launched at high velocity toward an occupant, even through the cushion of the airbag itself.

Timeline of Events

Chrysler’s SQE reported the initial concern about the rattling in the instrument panel on in early November, prompting an investigation from the company’s Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance organization. Once the cause of the potential issue was determined within the manufacturing process, it was discovered that five airbag module assemblies – all produced between Oct. 20 and Nov. 2, 2017 – were found to have loose mounting nuts inside. Of those five, two of the assemblies had the nuts outside the fabric of the airbag itself.

Then, on Nov. 17, the company determined it would conduct a recall of the affected vehicles.

The Solution

Chrysler is conducting a voluntary recall to replace all the airbag module assemblies for the vehicles in the recall, and will reimburse drivers for any repair costs they incur getting the airbag problem remedied. It asks that any proof of payment, such as the receipt for the transaction, be forwarded to the company.

The automaker announced in late November that it would notify both dealers and vehicle owners of the recall on Jan. 10, 2018.

Auburn Hills, Mich. – Sept. 26, 2017 – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has recalled more than 22,000 vehicles potentially equipped with noncompliant tire and rim labels, according to documentation submitted to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The campaign affects 2017-2018 Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicles with production dates ranging from Feb. 27, 2017 to Aug. 10, 2017. The car company suspects that 100 percent of the vehicles referenced in the recall contain the defective labels.

The Defect

Affected vehicles likely have tire and rim labels that fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110, which stipulates that all road-worthy models include labeling showing the “size designation and, if applicable, the type designation of rims (not necessarily those on the vehicle) appropriate for the tire appropriate for use on that vehicle, including the tire installed as original equipment on the vehicle by the vehicle manufacturer,” according to the Government Publishing Office. The vehicles named in the recall feature wheels and tires that do not contain the proper information, which may lead to the installation of noncompliant tires or wheels, and therefore increase the likelihood of an accident.

However, FCA has yet to receive field reports linking the defect to any accidents or injuries.

Timeline of Events

On Aug. 10, 2017, the FCA Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance group received an internal report from the Information and Communication Technology division indicating that some 2017-2018 Jeep Cherokee vehicles originating from the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois had rolled off the line with tire and wheel labels meant for passenger cars, rather than multipurpose models. Officials from the FCA VSRC group immediately reached out to the Quality Center Manager at the BVAP facility, who confirmed the existence of the issue and attributed it to a printing error. QA personnel at the plant instituted a yard hold to prevent noncompliant vehicles from departing.

On Aug. 24, after reviewing production logs for the BVAP plant and confirming non-compliance with FMVSS 110, the FCA Vehicle Regulations Committee called for a voluntary safety recall.

The Solution

FCA will direct dealers to replace the certification labels in affected vehicles free of charge. The car manufacturer plans to notify both dealers Oct. 20, according to documents filed with the NHTSA. The company will notify owners via first-class mail on or about that same day. Those in need of more immediate assistance leading up to the official recall date can contact Chrysler customer service personnel at (800) 853-1403. Callers should use the internal recall identification code T53. Owners can also reach out directly to the NHTSA via the agency’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.