Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has issued a huge 4.8 million vehicle recall over fears that following a certain set of events, vehicles could become stuck in cruise control. The recall covers various Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models sold in the US between 2014 and 2018. The full list of affected vehicles is included at the end of this article.

The issue relates to a certain electrical network that controls some cruise control functionality. If the vehicle were to accelerate to maintain the driver's set speed and at the same time a short circuit were to happen in these electronics, the driver could become unable to cancel cruise control. FCA is unaware of any injuries or accidents involving the issue but it certainly has the potential to be dangerous.

If the specified set of events were to occur, the driver would still always be able to overpower the cruise control by manually applying the brakes. Another method of overriding the cruise control is to shift the vehicle into neutral and brake. Once the vehicle is stopped, placing it into park will force a shutdown of the cruise control if it had become stuck.

FCA has developed a software update to fix the issue and will begin rolling it out at dealerships next week. Although it is extremely unlikely for this to occur while driving, FCA has advised all affected customers to "avoid using cruise control until their vehicles are equipped with the upgraded software."

The majority of vehicles being recalled are in the US although some in Canada and Mexico are also affected. The full list of vehicles includes:

  • 2015-17 Chrysler 200 sedan
  • 2014-18 Chrysler 300 sedan
  • 2017-18 Chrysler Pacifica minivan
  • 2015-18 Dodge Challenger coupe
  • 2014-18 Dodge Charger sedan
  • 2014-18 Dodge Journey CUV
  • 2014-18 Dodge Durango SUV
  • 2014-18 Jeep Cherokee SUV
  • 2014-18 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV
  • 2018 Jeep Wrangler
  • 2014-19 Ram 1500 pickup
  • 2014-18 Ram 2500 pickup
  • 2014-18 Ram 3500 pickup
  • 2014-18 Ram 3500 cab chassis
  • 2014-18 Ram 4500/5500 cab chassis