The problem was similar to one that was blamed in the death of Star Trek actor
The investigation, opened in December of 2016, covered almost 1.3 million Ram 1500 pickup trucks from the 2013 to 2017 model years, as well as Dodge Durango SUVs from 2014 through 2017.
At issue were electronic dial-like rotary gear selector knobs that were new at the time and different from previous mechanical shifters that used a lever to select gears. The knobs are turned to the left or right and have detents that click into gear.
The
But the agency said it did not find evidence that a design or manufacturing defect caused the rollaway incidents. Plus,
The agency said it monitored vehicles that got the update and found that the service campaign was “effective in reducing the frequency of vehicle rollaway incidents in the subject vehicles.”
Investigators also analyzed reports that the vehicles rolled away even after the software update, but did not find an “actionable defect” that caused the problems. The agency also said that after the service campaign, customer complaints significantly decreased.
“Given the absence of an identified safety defect based on available information and FCA’s customer satisfaction campaign which addresses the failure mode, further action is not warranted at this time,” the agency wrote.
In a statement,
Yelchin, 27, known for playing Chekov in the Star Trek film series, died in June of 2016 after his
His Grand Cherokee SUV was among a group of vehicles recalled because of complaints from drivers who had trouble telling if they put the console-mounted shift levers in park after stopping. Many reported that the vehicles rolled off after the driver exited.
The Grand Cherokee shift levers like Yelchin’s had to be pushed forward or backward to change gears, confusing many drivers. In the recall,
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