FCA Moves Transmission Recall Up "Several Months"

CARS.COM - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is moving up an April 22 recall of vehicles with controversial electronic gear selectors to mitigate situations where drivers think their car is in Park, and get out, when it still isn't.

Related: Electronic Gear Selector Issue Probed in Death of 'Star Trek' Actor

The move comes three days after "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin died after being pinned to a mailbox pillar by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a vehicle covered under the April recall, which involves the 2014-15 Grand Cherokee SUVs, and 2012-14 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans. All vehicles in question are equipped with electronic shift levers that spring back to the same position after being shifted. It's important to note, however, that Yelchin's death is still under investigation and has yet to be linked to the Jeep's shifter.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reportedly has been told of 300 rollaway incidents, 117 crashes and 28 injuries from Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs.

FCA told Cars.com it began to accelerate the April 22 recall in May, moving it up "several months" from the originally anticipated service date. The automaker says it began notifying dealers last week about the software updates required for the fix.

The fix combines warnings "with a transmission-shift strategy to automatically prevent a vehicle from moving, under certain circumstances, even if the driver fails to select 'Park,' " FCA said in a statement.

Eric Mayne, a spokesman for the automaker, elaborated on the shift strategy, noting that after the fix, the car will shift itself into Park if you open the door and don't have it in Park.

"Suffice to say that if you try to get out of the vehicle and it's not in Park, it will go into Park," Mayne told Cars.com.

The recall affects 811,586 cars, and the software "is meant for vehicles equipped with 3.6L and 5.7L engines, which account for a majority of those subject to this campaign." The automaker says it will begin notifying owners of service availability Friday.