By REBECCA RUIZ
Copyright 2014 New York Times News Service
DETROIT —
Chrysler is recalling 349,442 vehicles worldwide for faulty ignition switches that could cause cars to suddenly turn off while driving, adding to the recent wave of automobile recalls related to ignition problems.
The latest recall affects 2008 vehicles, including the Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee S.U.V.s, earlier models of which were recalled in July for the same problem.
The company is also recalling 2008 models of the Chrysler 300 sedan, the Dodge Charger sedan and the Dodge Magnum station wagon.
The problems are similar to the ignition defects identified in more than 16 million General Motors cars this year and in more than a million other Chrysler vehicles.
The ignition switches in the latest group of recalled Chrysler models can rotate to the “accessory” or “off” position when jostled by a knee or bump in the road.
Such a rotation can turn off power to the engine, disengage power steering and disable safety features like air bags.
A spokesman for Chrysler would not disclose the name of the supplier of its switches. Delphi Automotive supplied defective ignition switches to General Motors.
Photo
The 2008 Dodge Magnum, above, and the 2008 Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee are among the recalled vehicles. Credit Tannen Maury/European Pressphoto Agency
Chrysler, a division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said in a statement that it knew of one accident related to the defect, and that it had linked no deaths or injuries to it.
“In the overall scheme of ignition-related problems, the recall by Chrysler is a small one,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, an automobile research and pricing company.
“But it does indicate the importance of ignition systems and overall vehicle safety, an aspect that was not well understood as the General Motors ignition issues developed and were reported,” he added. “Cars have stalled from the beginning, but in today’s environment a stall caused by faulty ignition system parts can be, and has been, a serious safety issue.”
Drivers of the affected Chrysler vehicles wrote to federal regulators as early as 2008 reporting unexpected stalling.
“Since purchasing the vehicle I have stalled three times,” the driver of a 2008 Jeep Commander wrote to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in September 2008. “To be quite honest, I’m driving a new S.U.V. that I don’t feel safe in.”
Other drivers echoed that concern in the next six years.
“While driving my 2008 Dodge Magnum, my car completely shut off without warning and not one light inside turned on indicating a problem,” another owner wrote in February 2010. “My car has shut off plenty of times after that.”
Complaints have come in this week as well, before the recall announcement.
On Wednesday, the driver of a 2008 Jeep Commander wrote to the safety agency to report the same symptoms, and a frustration with a dealer’s inability to identify a problem: “The vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.”
Chrysler has given owners of the affected models a temporary prescription similar to the one G.M. has given owners of its affected models: Remove car keys from heavy key rings until the faulty part is repaired, minimizing the risk of key rotation.
G.M. has linked the ignition-switch defect in its cars to 21 deaths and dozens of accidents.
