Yelchin’s vehicle was among those subject to the recall.
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The SUV was part of a global recall of 1.1 million vehicles announced by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV in April after federal regulators found that new electric transmission shifters in some Jeeps, Chryslers and Dodges were confusing drivers and causing accidents. If the driver opens the door when the vehicle is not in Park a warning chime sounds and an alert message is displayed.
The complicated gear lever mechanism was fitted to the Jeep Grand Cherokee that rolled into Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin last weekend, killing him by pinning him against a wall, although investigators have not said whether the gear shift was a factor in his death.
Fiat Chrysler, according to global head of Jeep Mike Manley, has not been able to analyze the 2015 Grand Cherokee involved in the fatal accident but hopes to be able to have one of its team look at the vehicle. The shifter can be moved into place similarly to a traditional gear shift, but always returns to a center position. In the U.S., Maserati has received 10 complaints of shifter confusion in 2014 MY Ghibli and Quattroporte vehicles. Reuters reports the automaker seeking its own investigation.
The plaintiffs allege that the vehicle’s gear shifter is “dangerously defective because there is no tactile or position feedback to the operator as to whether the auto has actually been placed into the safe-to-exit “park” gear”. Police are still investigating, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the death may be related.
Other brands that use a ZF transmission and electric shifters include Audi, BMW, Jaguar and others that will automatically put vehicles in “park”.
The suit will seek class action status for the auto owners, looking to force Fiat Chrysler to compensate them for the diminished value of their vehicles following the “raft of negative publicity” brought on by Yelchin’s death, according to the complaint.
Maserati is recalling about 13,000 sedans that have the same sort of gear shifter that was used in the Jeep that killed actor Anton Yelchin.
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An FCA spokesman says the company hasn’t been served with the lawsuit and it would be inappropriate to comment.
