Vehicle manufacturers Chrysler Group LLC and Ford Motor Company both issued multiple recalls of trucks and SUVs last Thursday, Bloomberg reports. The news source explains that Chrysler has put out a recall on “about 150,000 trucks and SUVs… to address steering, air bag and potential stalling problems, while Ford recalled nearly 15,000 trucks and crossovers because of electrical issues.”
According to the Bloomberg report, Chrysler has recalled three vehicles, the details of which can be found at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. Though none of the cited problems have been known to cause crashes or injuries, Bloomberg explains, 86 customer complaints over a three year period have initiated the need for the Chrysler recalls.
About 22,000 Dodge Ram trucks, model years 2008 to 2011, have been initially recalled to address the steering problems, Bloomberg reports. Additionally, the article states that Chrysler has recalled around 65,000 2009 Dodge Journey SUVs which have potentially defective side airbags.
According to the article, Chrysler explained that “Wires within the front door could break and interrupt the circuits for the side impact sensors, causing the air bag warning light to go off and potentially preventing the air bag from deploying in a crash.” Although there have been no crash, fire or injury reports, the car manufacturer “said it has received 23 complaints from customers about the air bag lamp,” Bloomberg reports.
The final recall involves 57,000 2011 Ram 1500 trucks with “components in rear axles that could cause the trucks to stall.” Once again, despite the article’s assurance that no crashes, fires or other injuries have been reported, Chrysler initiated the recall to address 20 complaints of “axle bearing noise or failure, most coming within 500 miles of driving.”
Meanwhile, the recalled Ford vehicles are all tied to a single unidentified supplier, the article explains, which “produced the modules during a six-day period in November.” The recalled vehicles include the Ford F150, F250, F350, F450, and F550 pickup trucks. In addition, Bloomberg reports that the 2011 Ford Edge and 2011 Lincoln MKX crossovers are included in the recall to address the faulty module.
Bloomberg reports that Ford initiated the recall “to address potential electrical shorts that could lead to fires in unattended vehicles.” According to the source, despite two fires at Michigan assembly plants, Ford is unaware of any such fires occurring in vehicles out on the road.
Nevertheless, the article explains that the Ford recalls are expected to begin on January 10, with the Chrysler recalls following in February.
References:
Ken Thomas. (December 30, 2010) “Chrysler, Ford recall thousands of trucks and SUVs.” Retrieved on January 4, 2011 from Bloomberg.