Chrysler, Dodge and 1 others engineering analysis EA16002
Vehicle rollaway, engine on. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this engineering analysis about the gear position indication (prndl) on 8 model years (2012–2015). Opened Feb 3, 2016, closed Jun 24, 2016 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 16V240000, 16V424000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn April 22, 2016, Fiat Chrysler Automotive US LLC, (FCA) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA regarding a defect that could result in unattended vehicle rollaway with the engine running in approximately 811,586 model year (MY) 2012 to 2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles and MY 2014 to 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 8-speed transmissions and a monostable gear selector (NHTSA Recall #16V-240, FCA Recall #S27). According to FCA's DIR, The existing strategies built into these vehicles to deter drivers from exiting the vehicle after failing to put the transmission into PARK have not stopped some from doing so. Drivers erroneously concluding that their vehicle's transmission is in the PARK position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out of the vehicle while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged. The vehicles recalled by FCA are equipped with Monostable electronic (shift-by-wire) gearshift assemblies supplied by ZF Group (see Figure 1).The subject Monostable shifter has a single neutral position that it snaps back to when the driver releases the shift knob. Although the Monostable gearshift has the familiar appearance of a conventional console mechanical gearshift assembly, it has an unfamiliar movement that does not provide the tactile or visual feedback that drivers are accustomed to receiving from conventional shifters. Consequently, the driver must take additional time to verify that the desired gear position was achieved by checking the PRNDL display on the shift knob or the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) display.
A Engineering Analysis is the deeper stage, usually upgraded from a Preliminary Evaluation: NHTSA tests, requests engineering documents and decides whether a safety defect exists. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2012 Chrysler 300; 2013 Chrysler 300; 2014 Chrysler 300; 2012 Dodge Charger; 2013 Dodge Charger; 2014 Dodge Charger; 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee; 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs EA16002 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 16V240000, 16V424000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is EA16002 still open?
No. It closed on Jun 24, 2016 and led to recall 16V240000, 16V424000.
Which vehicles does EA16002 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 8 model years: 2012 Chrysler 300, 2013 Chrysler 300, 2014 Chrysler 300, 2012 Dodge Charger, 2013 Dodge Charger, 2014 Dodge Charger and more. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.