Fiat Chrysler is recalling 350,000 Dodge Journeys due to a loose engine cover that could cause a fire.
Fiat Chrysler is recalling 350,000 Dodge Journey crossovers due to a problem with the vehicle’s engine cover that could lead to a fire.
The covers can become dislodged and come in contact with exhaust components preventing them from moving. If that happens, it could cause a fire. The company has reports of three fires in Chile, involving one injury and no deaths.
“In each case, the vehicle had been driven extensively on unpaved or uneven surfaces. The company is aware of a single related injury, described as minor,” Fiat Chrysler said in a statement.
The recall only involves vehicles using the maker’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Vehicles with six cylinder engines are not impacted. It covers about 144,000 Journeys from 2011-2015 in the U.S. Of the 349,731 vehicles in the recall, 43,679 are in Canada; 46,231 in Mexico; and 115,405 outside North America. About 10% are in dealer hands.
To resolve the problem, Fiat Chrysler dealers will install upgraded engine-cover retainers starting next month. Notifications will go out at that time as well.
(Feds plan to punish Fiat Chrysler for safety lapses. For more, Click Here.)
Indicators of a loose engine cover may include noise from the vehicle’s engine compartment, a burning odor or a warning light in the instrument cluster. Customers who experience these problems should contact their dealers, the company said.
The recall comes as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials are taking a hard look at FCA and how it handles potential safety issues and recalls. NHTSA officials are going to meet with the automaker to discuss its handling more than 20 recalls involving more than 11 million vehicles.
(Click Here for details about NHTSA’s issues with FCA and safety.)
“What you heard here is there’s a pattern that’s been going on for some time, frankly,” said Mark Rosekind, the new Administrator for NHTSA, earlier this month. The agency has taken heat for some of its own lapses in recent weeks, and Rosekind has promised to both fix those problems and crack down on the industry.
In Fiat Chrysler’s case, such lapses could lead to millions of dollars in fines.
(NHTSA’s Rosekind pushing for changes within the agency. Click Here for story.)
FCA has been accused of failing to meet federal guidelines on reporting potential safety problems. It has also been cited for the slow pace in which it has handled repairs on some recalls. That includes the millions of Jeeps targeted by a 2014 service action because of a potential fire problem.