— Chrysler owners have been bombarded with recalls in the past two months, totaling over 3 million vehicles.
The recall streak continues with the latest announcement that Chrysler is recalling an additional 840,000 vehicles. Whether you look at it as Chrysler being proactive with their customers, or their vehicles have serious problems, there is no doubt that owners are growing tired of recalls.
Active Head Restraints
The largest number of vehicles in this latest round of recalls include the 2011-2013 Chrysler Sebring, 200 and Dodge Avenger; 2011-2013 Jeep Liberty, and the 2011-2012 Dodge Nitro.
The recall includes 442,000 vehicles in the U.S., 25,000 in Canada, and 22,000 outside those areas.
Chrysler says there might be faulty microcontrollers in the active head restraints that could cause the system to fail.
Chrysler is unaware of any related injuries or accidents, but dealers will still need to replace the component or upgrade the system software if needed.
Air Bag Software
Owners of the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, and Ram Cargo Van can expect a recall notification letter soon.
About 282,000 of those vehicles will be recalled following an investigation by Chrysler that showed problems with the side air bags.
The investigation showed the vehicles are equipped with a component inadvertently programmed to deploy side air bags on the opposing side of the vehicle. Side air bags are intended to deploy on the side of the vehicle that experiences a crash impact.
Chrysler said they are aware of three related accidents and one minor injury.
During the recall, dealers will need to reprogram the affected component.
Electronic Stability Control
Over 69,000 4x4 pickup trucks worldwide will be recalled to update the electronic stability control software. The recalled truck is the 2013 Ram 1500 equipped with four-wheel drive.
Chrysler said they received a small number of reports from dealers who noted a warning lamp indicating the electronic stability control system was disabled. An investigation discovered the problem can occur when the transfer case position is changed immediately before the ignition is turned off.
Chrysler is unaware of any related injuries or accidents.
Track-Bar Fastener
Commercial trucks are the target of a recall affecting the track-bar fastener. Affected are 747 model-year 2013 Ram 4500/5500 trucks in the U.S. and 311 in Canada. Approximately 600 are in dealer hands.
Chrysler said the track bar secures the axle during suspension travel and steering can be affected if the bar isn't secured correctly.
Dealers will inspect and if needed, replace the track-bar fastener.
Air Bag Control Module
Chrysler will recall 226 model-year 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country models to replace the air bag control modules.
The modules were inadvertently programmed with software that may compromise air bag deployment. Most of the vehicles are currently on dealer lots and Chrysler said there have been no reports of accidents caused by the problem.
Chrysler will notify affected customers about each recall, but owners can contact Chrysler with questions at 800-853-1403.
