Stellantis Hit By America’s 4th Largest Recall Of 2024

Another week, another recall for Stellantis. The multinational automotive company has had to recall more than one million vehicles due to a software issue that may cause the rearview camera image not to display. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1,033,433 units are affected in the United States. Add in the recalled vehicles from Canada, and the total is nearly 1.2 million cars, trucks, and SUVs. The NHTSA’s data puts this recall as the third highest of the year, following Tesla, Ford, and Toyota/Honda (combined for the same airbag issue).

Those in older cars who have never had a rearview camera may not see this as a big deal, but the NHTSA says inoperable reverse displays increase the risk of a crash. What’s more, vehicles with defective cameras no longer comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, which is related to Rear Visibility.

How Will Stellantis Fix This?

The most commonly affected vehicle in the recall is the 2021-2023 Chrysler Pacifica, with 235,423 examples in the pool. Stellantis says owners will be notified of the recall (via mail) by August 2, 2024. In the meantime, concerned customers can contact FCA US customer service at 1-800-853-1403. The recall number is 66B.

Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.

So, how will Stellantis rectify the problem? Thankfully, it’s an easy fix. The automaker says dealers will update the radio software at no cost to the owner. In the manufacturer’s notice, Stellantis says the “remedy for this condition is not currently available” and is expected to launch sometime in Q3 2024. In the meantime, affected vehicle owners must just sit tight and exercise extra caution when parking or backing out of tight spots.

The Latest Of Many Stellantis Recalls This Year

Over a week ago, Dodge and Ram recalled hundreds of thousands of SUVs and trucks (more than 200,000 Durango, Ram 2500, and 3500s) due to a potential ABS control module malfunction. Like the latest recall, this is also software-related but arguably more dangerous – a defective ABS module could affect the way the brakes and stability control system operate, increasing the risk of a crash. In March, Stellantis was forced to recall more than 300,000 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans for faulty side airbag inflators that increase the risk of injury or death in a collision.

2:24

Related

10 Biggest Recalls In Automotive History

When it comes to recalls, most are usually small. However, there have been several notable ones throughout automotive history.

Just a few days before that, Stellantis recalled 338,000 Grand Cherokees due to damaged upper control arm pinch bolts that could result in the wheels falling off. While all these recalls are somewhat alarming, the automaker is still nowhere near Ford, which has issued more recalls for the third year running than any other automaker. Can these American brands get their quality issues under control? Ford is trying its best with advanced AI techniques. Perhaps Stellantis will also implement a similar system on its production line.