Police haven’t determined if the recall defect was to blame for his death.
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The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said late Monday in a statement it is in contact with local authorities and Fiat Chrysler “to understand all of the facts related to this tragic crash, including whether or not this was caused by the current issue under recall”.
Affected vehicles include: 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2012-2014 Chrysler 300 and 2012-2014 Dodge Charger.
But consumer safety advocates say the incident shows an urgent need to improve how recalls are handled, with a record number of unrepaired United States vehicles still on the road as drivers wait for fixes that can take many months to arrive. “However that may or may not happen”. Manley said there is no recorder or “airplane-type box” in the vehicle.
“There is a huge amount of speculation and I am not entirely sure that is useful at this moment”, Manley said.
In just a month, Yelchin will co-star in Paramount’s “Star Trek Beyond”, again playing his most famous character, Enterprise officer Pavel Chekov. His death, and its possible connection to the recall, has garnered global attention and dozens of stories in the entertainment media.
The automaker expects to have a fix for the problem in July or August. Before Yelchin died, Fiat Chrysler had identified 202 crashes and 41 injuries potentially related to the issue, but also said the vehicles involved were inspected and no evidence of equipment failure was found. In the interim, FCA Australia urges all customers to refer to their owner’s manual that outlines correct operation of the Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300 transmission, including selecting Park, ensuring the engine is switched off and engaging the parking brake before exiting the vehicle.
Currently, drivers must click a lever three times to put the cars’ “E-shift” systems into “park”.
As a effect, drivers, passengers or passersby may be struck and injured by the vehicle in a moment of carelessness.
Maserati is investigating whether a software re-flash will fix the problem and hopes to have the fix ready later this year. Even so, some drivers mistakenly get out of the vehicle without putting it in Park.
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Del Toro said he worked with Yelchin for about a year and called him a “great creative partner and artist”. Fiat Chrysler said the software for the remaining vehicles will be available soon. Fiat Chrysler said Wednesday that it would start sending letters to owners on June 24 telling them to make a service appointment.
