German transmission supplier ZF has taken a lot of flack for its rough-shifting, occasionally misbehaving nine-speed automatic across multiple automakers. Now comes word that the shifter it designed and supplied to some automakers who use its eight-speed automatic transmission has been subject to a large recall.
After an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fiat Chrysler is recalling 811,586 vehicles to update the transmission software and include more visual warnings and chimes that the vehicles are not in park. All eight-speed 2012?2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans and 2014?2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee models are included. NHTSA had investigated the cars since August 2015 and recorded at least 686 complaints about the shifter, including 266 crashes and 68 injuries. The death of actor Anton Yelchin, who was pinned against his driveway fence by his 2015 Grand Cherokee, is also under investigation. In its concluding report dated June 24, NHTSA wrote that the shifter’s design “appears to violate several basic design guidelines for vehicle controls.”
The shifter in question always returns to a center position after gear selection and has very small detents that can make it difficult to select a gear; some drivers were then inadvertently leaving their vehicles in gear when they intended to select park. The vehicles also have ignition-button programming that won’t shut the engine down if the vehicle is not ...