Chrysler Recalls 840,000 Vehicles

A new Chrysler recall has been issued for 840,000 vehicles, mostly located in the United States. The recall, which is actually several recalls rolled into one, focuses mostly on active-restraint head rests that could have been manufactured with flaws.

In five separate recalls, the company issued orders for 500,000 cars and SUVS, which may suffer from the active-restraint head rest issue. The Chrysler recall also includes 282,000 minivans, which may suffer from possible malfunctioning air bags.

Chrysler has worked hard under its new Fiat SpA ownership to improve Consumer Reports scoring, but that hasn’t stopped 12 separate recalls from occurring since early June. The company’s recalls since June have included four million vehicles.

A total of 2.7 million older Jeep models were recalled recently after Chrysler first denied the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In defending the company’s newest round of recalls, Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne said the recalls are “an indication of our aggressive quality-control protocol.”

Chrysler decided to issue the recalls after three reported accidents and one “minor injury” were associated with the company’s air bag issue. Chrysler says it has received no accident reports due to the head-restraint issue.

Also included in Chrysler’s recall on Wednesday are nearly 490,000 cars and SUVs that have potentially faulty micro computer components for head rests. The head rests are designed to move forward during rear-end crashes.

Affected by the recall are the following vehicles: 2011-2013 Chrysler Sebring, Chrysler 200, Dodge Avenger and Jeep Liberty vehicles, as well as 2011-2012 Dodge Nitro SUVs.

In a statement regarding the recall Chrysler officials write:

“The potentially faulty microcontrollers were installed in a supplied component. They entered the supply chain after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused a worldwide microcontroller shortage.”

The Chrysler recall means a free fix to each customers vehicle by upgrading a power module or the “occupant restraint control module.”

Chrysler is recalling 442,000 vehicles in the United States, 25,000 in Canada, 10,000 in Mexico, and 12,000 vehicles located in other regions around the world.

Contact your local Chrysler dealer to see if your vehicle is included in the current recall and the company’s other recalls in 2013.