SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Attorney Advertising. Attorneys from Keller Rohrback L.L.P. are investigating automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (“Fiat Chrysler”) (BIT:FCA) recall of 1.1 million vehicles worldwide due to injuries arising from problems with the cars’ electronically controlled shift levers.
The electronically controlled shift levers return to the same position after each manipulation, causing confusion by drivers who are used to conventional transmissions that engage when the car is shifted. Based on the cars’ non-intuitive shift mechanism, drivers mistakenly think their vehicle is in park, when in fact it is not, and have reported that their vehicle rolled away when they exited the vehicle. Rollaway incidents like these may result in serious injury to the driver, passengers, pedestrians, or property in the path of the rolling vehicle. To date, hundreds of such incidents have been reported and dozens of people have been injured as a result.
Fiat Chrysler commented that, “unless due care is taken, drivers may draw erroneous conclusions about the status of their vehicles,” a statement that appears to shift blame onto car owners for the dangerous effects of their vehicle’s transmission display. However, testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the “shifter is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection.”
The automaker announced on Friday, April 22, 2016, it would be recalling an estimated 811,586 midsize SUVs and full-size cars in the U.S. The affected model-years include the 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 Sedans and 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicles. Car owners have not yet been notified that service is available.
If you or a family member owns or leases one of the affected vehicles, please contact attorneys Amy William-Derry, Ryan McDevitt, or Gretchen Freeman Cappio at 800-776-6044 or via email at consumer@kellerrohrback.com to discuss our investigation and your potential claims against Fiat Chrysler. Additional information is available at www.krcomplexlit.com.
With offices in Seattle, Phoenix, New York, Ronan, Oakland, and Santa Barbara, Keller Rohrback L.L.P. serves as lead and co-lead counsel in class actions throughout the country. Our Complex Litigation Group offers its expertise to clients nationwide, and our trial lawyers have obtained judgments and settlements on behalf of clients in excess of $7 billion. The firm currently serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the consolidated consumer lawsuits against Volkswagen for the sale of diesel vehicles with “defeat devices.”
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