Electronic Gear Selector Issue Probed in Death of 'Star Trek' Actor
CARS.COM — Federal safety officials are urging owners of the more than 800,000 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles vehicles under recall for potential rollaway crashes to be certain their cars are in Park and the ignition turned off before getting out. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s renewed warning came after news of the death of “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin, who was pinned by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, one of several models under recall.
Related: Cars.com Editors Sound Off on Electronic Gear Selectors
The 27-year-old actor, who played Pavel Chekov in the rebooted blockbuster “Star Trek” film series, died Sunday after being pinned to a mailbox pillar at his Los Angeles home by his SUV, The Detroit News reported. The Grand Cherokee was one of the nearly 812,000 FCA SUVs and sedans recalled in April because of an electronic gear selector believed to confuse drivers and lead them to think the shifter is in Park when it is not, posing a rollaway danger.
In a statement, NHTSA said it has been in contact with authorities to determine whether Yelchin’s death was the result of the gear-shifter defect. Vehicles under the recall include model-year 2012-14 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans, and 2014-15 Jeep Grand Cherokees. NHTSA launched its initial investigation following reports of more than 300 Grand Cherokee rollaway incidents resulting in 117 crashes and 28 injuries, The Detroit News reported.
“NHTSA initiated an investigation into the issue in February of this year. Then, in April, FCA acknowledged the defect and issued a recall at NHTSA’s urging,” safety officials stated. “Until all of these recalled vehicles are fixed, owners should take extra care to make sure their car is in park and turned completely off before exiting.”
In a statement on Monday, FCA extended its condolences to Yelchin’s friends and family, and said the automaker is in contact with authorities and conducting a thorough investigation.
“It is premature to speculate on the cause of this tragedy,” FCA stated.
FCA reportedly sent out recall notices for the gear-selector issue in mid-May with a targeted fix by July or August, The Detroit News reported. It should be noted that the problem under recall isn’t an equipment malfunction, but instead a design that NHTSA has deemed “not intuitive” and one that provides “poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver.”
Instead of a conventional gear-shifter design that, for example, slides along a track and clicks into varied positions, FCA’s electronic selector snaps back into a central position upon selection and that position is indicated by lights; chimes should also sound if the driver opens the door while the vehicle is not in Park. FCA began replacing the gear selector with a new design in 2015.
In February, when news of FCA’s rollaway issues was emerging, Cars.com editors sounded off on electronic gear selectors offered by several automakers, including FCA. Some felt they were an ergonomic annoyance but not necessarily a safety risk, while others saw the potential for danger.
Regardless of the final determination of what specifically caused Yelchin’s death, it’s important for vehicle owners to heed recall alerts and have their vehicles repaired as soon as possible. If you’re unsure whether your vehicle is under recall, you can find out by using NHTSA’s year-make-model search here. You can also stay abreast of recalls reported by Cars.com as they are announced here.
