The owners of some 2011 and 201 Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s may have a serious issue with their vehicles. Some of these cars were recalled at the beginning of May 2012 due to an issue with a fuse. The fuse can cause the anti-lock brake system to have a failure and may affect other stability issues, as well.
The cars affected include the 2011 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 lines that were built between May 6, 2010 and July 26, 2011. The 2012 models affected include those built between February 9, 2011 to December 20, 2011. If you have one of these vehicles, you should have been notified already. There are approximately 119,000 car owners affected by this recall.
Chrysler recalled about 10,000 police versions of the vehicles in February for a similar problem: A fuse holder can expand and contract and damage an electrical component, interrupting power to the anti-lock function of the brakes, as well as the electronic stability control. The car’s conventional brakes continue to work, even though the anti-lock feature is disabled, Chrysler says.
Regular versions of the cars sold to individuals weren’t recalled at the same time, Chrysler says, because the police problem was thought to be the result of “extreme duty cycles” that would be unlikely in a normal vehicle.
But it began checking reports of similar issues in ordinary cars to see if the problem were larger. The automaker decided it was.
The Cause
According to a statement by Chrysler, the problem is due to an insert that surrounds one of the vehicle’s fuses. This insert can become distorted because of expansion and contraction caused by heat. When this happens, the power for the car’s ABS/ESC control system could lose function temporarily.
There weren’t any accidents or injuries reported due to this recall before it was announced. Law enforcement versions of these vehicles were recalled earlier in the year, but the company believed that the problem was isolated to those vehicles. Further testing proved that it was not and the company recalled the above-mentioned models, as well.
If your car is affected by this problem, the warming lamp for your ABS/EBC system will come on, according to the statement. The statement says that brake function is available and not compromised, however.
Injuries and Recalls
Sometimes, products are called off of the market in time to prevent any injuries or deaths, but this is not always the case. Defective car brakes can cause myriad types of disasters and deaths and, if the company was aware of the problem and didn’t correct it or if they were negligent in being unaware of the issue, you may be able to sue them for damages.
Cars are held to very strict safety standards. Testing and retesting is done to make sure that there are no issues and, if the same issue manifests over and over again, it may lead to a recall. If you were injured or suffered property loss due to your vehicle being defective in some regard, contact an attorney about the matter. They may be able to help you file a lawsuit that could win you compensation.
