Days after announcing the 2015 Dodge Challenger's five-star safety rating, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling the car for issues that could cause the vehicle's gauges to flash or reset.
In a year packed with vehicle recalls, Fiat Chrysler stuffs one more in before the ball drops to put 2014 in the books. While the Challenger's latest issue is what the NHTSA terms a safety risk, the problem affects just a small number of motorists when compared with many of the other recalls the year has seen.
FCA is calling back all models of the 2015 Dodge Challenger's manufactured between June 30 and Oct. 4 of this year, according to reports. In all, the recall covers 11,600 Challengers.
The issue is believed to stem from overloading of the circuitry inside the instrument panel. The 7-inch TFT gauge cluster happens to be new to the 2015 Challenger, though the defect affects analog panels as well.
The defect could cause the Challengers' cluster display to flash or to reset completely, blanking the digital speedometer for several minutes. For vehicles with analog displays, their gauges could swing between cruising speeds and zero in an occurrence that can be just as dangerous as a flashing or blacked-out digital speedometer.
Besides the blinking displays and pedantic gauge hands, FCA stated that the defect could also cause the light for the theft alarm to stay illuminated and it could cause the vehicles to fail to check their bulbs when the cars are started. The free fix involves having a technician hook the car up to a diagnostic machine and add a new software program with a three-stage startup process to avoid overload problems.
While the cluster panel problems are cause for concern, the 2015 Dodge Challenger was recently awarded a five-star safety rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The 2015 Challenger's Forward Collision Warning System, an array of front-end sensors, was one of the standout features that helped the car earn the five-star rating.
In all, there were 70 safety and security features that helped the 2015 Challenger earn the honor. Other standout features include adaptive cruise control, rear cross path detection and blind-spot monitoring.
"The new Dodge Challenger coupe further demonstrates our commitment to broaden the proliferation of advanced safety technologies, such as driver-assist features," says Scott Kunselman, senior vice president of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory at FCA North America. "The 2015 Challenger checks all the boxes. It affords premium safety and security in a stylish package that delivers a sporty driving experience."
Sales of the Challenger line has been strong, with the series reporting its strongest November on record. The 4,157 Challengers delivered in November 2014 was about a 52 percent increase when compared with the same month in 2013.
