Auto maker Fiat Chrysler has recalled 8,000 vehicles after fears that hackers could take over the controls from the driver.
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE:FCAU) Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Sergio Marchionne has been vocal about his preference to pool in resources with General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) in order to move the larger automotive industry to take on new competition from the likes of Google and Tesla.
The announcement by FCA US LLC, formerly Chrysler Group LLC, comes more than a month after the company recalled about 1.4 million vehicles in the United States for the software update. The initial count, however, might have missed a few vehicles.
The recalled vehicles include 2015 Jeep Renegade SUVs equipped with 6.5-inch touchscreens.
More than half of the vehicle model that were being recalled haven’t been sold yet and are still with the dealers. The company says the second recall is “designed to protect connected vehicles from remote manipulation”, and stresses that a fix for the previous vulnerability has now been issued.
There is also a thumb drive for Jeep owners from the automaker which they can use in updating the software of their vehicles on their own, instead of bringing them to Fiat Chrysler dealerships. As FCA points out, however, wreaking havoc on a Renegade wouldn’t be easy, requiring a lot of technical skill and time to write code. If it is, they can either download the software themselves, or have dealership technicians perform the update free of charge.
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A recent media report uncovered a vulnerability in the Jeep Cherokee’s infotainment system that allowed hackers to gain control of the vehicle’s controls, eventually disabling it. FCA says that independent of the media report, no injuries, complaints, warranty claims or accidents have been caused by this issue.
