Fiat Chrysler Gearshift Probe Reveals 266 Crashes & 68 Injuries

Fiat Chrysler has been under the scanner for a while now with its defective gear lever. The incident came under the limelight after Hollywood actor Anton Yelchin was killed.

Now, a government investigation found out that a total of 266 crashes were caused because of the faulty gear lever and 68 people have been injured till date. The numbers were documented by The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website.

The agency closed the investigation after Fiat Chrysler agreed to recall 1.1 million vehicles that are fitted with the faulty gear shifter.

Investigation also revealed that the carmaker received 686 complaints from customers about the lever and the company also received negative feedback from buyers after the vehicles had gone on sale. According to the agency, Fiat Chrysler had violated basic design guidelines in regards to the shifter.

The vehicles that are being recalled have an electronic shifter that has to be pushed forward three times to get it from drive to park. If the shifter is pushed just once, it puts the vehicle in neutral, which will make the vehicle roll down a slope.

The affected vehicles include the 2014 Grand Cherokee as well as the Dodge Charger that was made between 2012 to 2014, and the Chrysler 300.