Chrysler and General Motors Issue New Car Recalls

Fiat Chrysler has just announced a recall of 26,000 cars in North America due to a transmission problem that can prevent a car from being able to shift into park. The recall covers 2015 Chrysler 200s with a V-6 engine. No deaths or injuries have been reported yet, but the manufacturer has received five complaints about the issue. In the reported cases, the transmission was not in park even though the car’s indicator said it was and the car was turned off. If your car is part of this recall, Chrysler recommends applying the car’s parking brake before turning the engine off until a repair can be made. The problem has been blamed on inconsistent assembly procedures.

General Motors is also recalling 66,998 Cadillac ATS made between 2013 and 2015 and 1,331 2014 Chevy Impalas. With the Cadillac ATS vehicles, the problem is that roof panels can auto-close when the roof is open and the non-recessed portion of the “Slide” or “Tilt” switches are pressed. No consumer complaints were received about this problem, but since the switches aren’t fully recessed, they don’t meet federal standards regarding how much force is required to close them. The Chevy Impala recall is an expansion of a recall issued last year about problems with the electronic braking module which can cause brake pads to stay in contact with the rotor after the parking brake is disengaged.

The new General Motors recalls follow one issued just a few weeks ago for over 81,000 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Malibu, Malibu Maxx, and Pontiac G6 vehicles. This recall is also an expansion of a recall issued last year because of defects in the power steering system which can cause the system to fail. If you have one of these cars and your power steering fails, you will be notified with a message on the Driver Information Center. One crash has been linked to the defect, but no injuries or deaths.

If your car is recalled because of defective equipment, you should receive a letter in the mail notifying you that your car has been recalled, that it needs to be brought in for a repair, and when the repair will become available. The notice might also provide instructions for things you can do to reduce the risk of having problems with the defect until the repair can be made. If the defect is so serious it makes the car dangerous to be on the road, you will be told to stop driving the car right away. Most importantly, recall repairs are completely free for the car owner. You don’t need to bring a car to the dealership where it was originally purchased for the repair; it can be done at any of the manufacturer’s dealership locations.

If you believe your car is part of the recall but don’t get a notice in the mail, you can either call the dealership and tell them your vehicle identification number (VIN) or use safercar.gov’s VIN look-up tool. The VIN look-up tool will list any recalls for your car within the past 15 years and if there are any recall repairs that haven’t been made.

Our personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Goodwin & Scieszka are familiar with the ins and outs of other injury law, like slip and fall accident claims. If you’ve been injured contact us to see how we can help you to be fairly compensated.