DETROIT– U.S. auto safety regulators will not seek a recall after a seven-year investigation into complaints alleging that Dodge and Ram vehicles can roll away after being parked.
The problem was similar to one blamed for the death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin, although the company was in the process of recalling its 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee to fix the problem.
The investigation, opened in December 2016, covered nearly 1.3 million Ram 1500 pickup trucks from model years 2013 to 2017, as well as Dodge Durango SUVs from 2014 to 2017.
What was at stake were electronic dial-like rotary gear selection knobs which were new at the time and different from previous mechanical shifters that used a lever to select gears. The knobs are turned left or right and have detents that engage the gear.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Monday that it and Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, had received nearly 1,500 complaints that vehicles were rolling after drivers parked them.
But the agency said it found no evidence that a design or manufacturing defect caused the folding wheel incidents. Additionally, Fiat Chrysler did a “customer satisfaction campaign” to update the software so that vehicles automatically shift into park if the driver’s door is opened.
The agency said it monitored vehicles that received the update and found that the service campaign was “effective in reducing the frequency of rollover incidents in the subject vehicles.”
Investigators also looked into reports that the vehicles started even after the software update, but found no “actionable defect” causing the problems. The agency also said that after the service campaign, customer complaints decreased significantly.
“Given the absence of an identified security defect based on available information and FCA’s customer satisfaction campaign addressing the failure mode, no further action is warranted at this time,” the agency wrote.
In a statement, Stellantis said it agrees with NHTSA’s findings and is “pleased that our update appears to have resonated with customers.”
Yelchin, 27, known for playing Chekov in the Star Trek film series, died in June 2016 after his Jeep pinned him against a mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles.
Its Grand Cherokee SUV was among a group of vehicles recalled over complaints from drivers who had trouble knowing whether to put the console-mounted shift paddles into park after stopping. Many reported that the vehicles drove away after the driver got out.
Grand Cherokee shifters like Yelchin’s had to be pushed forward or backward to change gears, which confused many drivers. In the recall, Fiat Chrysler changed the software so that vehicles automatically shift into park if the driver’s door is opened.