Jeep recalls Wrangler
All Wranglers sold in Australia over past five years recalled to fix potentially faulty airbagsFiat Chrysler Automobiles has announced a global recall affecting almost 400,000 Wrangler models globally -- including more than 8500 vehicles sold in Australia since 2011 -- to rectify a problem that could render their airbags useless in the event of a crash.
The problem is unrelated to the Takata airbag debacle, which now affects 35 million vehicles globally and 1.2 million in Australia, but centres on a steering wheel 'clockspring' within the airbag control circuit.
According to FCA US LLC, an internal investigation "determined excessive exposure to dust and dirt – consistent with extensive off-road driving or driving with a vehicle’s top and/or doors removed – may compromise the clockspring and eventually prevent driver-side airbag deployment in a crash".
FCA, which voluntarily recalled 392,464 examples of the hard-core SUV in North America yesterday, said that if the condition is present in a vehicle, the airbag warning lamp will be illuminated and the airbag may not function in the event of a collision.
An official safety recall is yet to be announced in Australia, but motoring.com.au understands that about 8730 Wranglers sold between 2011 and 2016 will be affected here. The company is unaware of any potentially related injuries or accidents.
FCA will replace the clockspring assembly, steering wheel back cover and steering column shroud in affected vehicles, which include MY2007-2010 Wranglers in the US, plus 35,412 vehicles in Canada, 8529 in Mexico and 62,580 outside the NAFTA region.
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