The auto industry has been rocked by an unprecedented number of recalls in the past year, and no company has been spared. General Motors and airbag company Takata has been especially hard hit, but Fiat-Chrysler has taken a lot of lumps too. This includes a $105 million fine for failing to act quickly enough, a hacking recall affecting 1.4 million vehicles with the Uconnect infotainment system, and a Ram truck buyback encompassing hundreds of thousands of vehicles over a faulty steering system.
It isn’t over either, as on Monday FCA announced yet another recall, this one affecting over 322,000 Dodge Chargers built between May 6, 2010, and June 5, 2014, with most of them in the United States. The issue relates to the Restraint Control Module, which can set off the side curtain and seat belt airbags should somebody slam the doors closed too hard. FCA is telling owners to exercise restraint when closing a Charger’s door. Three minor injuries were reported due to the issue, but no deaths thankfully.
This is similar to a problem that forced FCA to recall over 667,000 Ram pickups last week, where slamming doors sets off the airbag, potentially injuring unaware passengers and costing thousands in repairs. FCA’s reputation is also taking a hit as its “voluntary” recalls are at this point affecting millions of vehicles. FCA’s only consolation is that it isn’t in this boat alone. GM, Toyota, Honda, and numerous other automakers are recalling so many vehicles that it’s hard to keep up.
Hopefully this is a wakeup call to FCA and the rest of the auto industry to step up its quality control, as all these recalls are eating into operating capital and profits.