News about car recalls are not a rarity anymore. Among other announcements about vehicle recalls throughout the world, Fiat Chrysler reported it is recalling nearly 600,000 Jeep Wrangler SUVs and Fiat 500 subcompact cars worldwide.
Wranglers are being recalled to inspect the clockspring, a part in the steering wheel that aids with airbag deployment. The automaker declared after an investigation that dust and dirt gathered from off-road driving can compromise the clockspring and eventually prevent driver-side airbag deployment in a crash. For the moment there are no reports of any injuries or accidents related to the clockspring issue. In case compromised clocksprings activate the Wrangler’s airbag warning lamp, drivers will have to notify a dealership. In the U.S., the recall includes 392,464 Wranglers from the 2007-10 model years and 7,435 from the 2011-16 model years.
FCA is also recalling 80,474 Fiat 500s from the 2012-16 model years with manual transmissions globally. In this case they'll have to fix a glitch with the clutch release system. Some investigations showed that clutch travel could “exceed design parameters,” which can ultimately restrict gear shifts and propulsion. The recall does not affect cars with turbocharged engines.
