2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Srt 8 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

‘Star Trek’ actor's family settles with Fiat Chrysler over his death

LOS ANGELES — The family of late "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV over the rollaway crash of a Jeep Grand Cherokee that killed the up-and-coming actor almost two years ago. Terms of the settlement, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, were not disclosed. The lawsuit filed by Yelchin's parents, celebrated Russian figure skaters Victor and Irina Yelchin, is believed to be the first wrongful death complaint filed over Fiat Chrysler's April 2016 recall of more than 1.1 million vehicles due to a rollaway risk. Yelchin, 27, best known for playing navigator Pavel Chekov in the "Star Trek" movie reboot, died in June 2016 when his 2015 Grand Cherokee rolled backward in the steep driveway of his Los Angeles home, pinning the actor against a brick wall and fence. Yelchin's final role was in the indie film "Thoroughbreds," which was released this month. In a statement, Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday the company is "pleased that we've reached an amicable resolution in this matter. ... We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss." Messages left with Yelchin family attorney Gary Dordick seeking comment were not immediately returned. The lawsuit also accused Fiat Chrysler of negligence, product liability and breach of warranty. Dordick said when he filed the lawsuit that Fiat Chrysler had mailed a recall letter to Yelchin that was received seven days after his death. Final recall notices were sent during that time, but interim notices had been mailed at least 17 days before Yelchin's accident, Fiat Chrysler said. At the time of Yelchin's death, the rollaway problem had been tied to at least 68 injuries, 266 crashes and 308 reports of property damage. Drivers complained they would exit vehicles with the engine running falsely believing the vehicle was in park. Fiat Chrysler furnished a software upgrade to the affected 2014-2015 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle as well as 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans.Reporting by Eric KelseyRelated Video:

Chrysler recalls 350k vehicles over ignition switches

Chrysler has announced a recall covering 349,442 vehicles due to ignition switches that can either become stuck or move without warning. All of the affected vehicles are from the 2008 model year, and were built before May 12, 2008.
The automaker has learned that ignition keys on some vehicles "may not fully return to the 'ON' position after rotation to the 'START' position during engine-startup," the company said in a statement. Additionally, "an ignition key may not fully return to the 'ON' position after rotation to the 'START' position and may inadvertently move through the 'ON' position to 'ACCESSORY' or 'OFF.'"
Chrysler says it is unaware of any related injuries, and notes that while reduced braking, engine or steering power is possible in such instances, the airbags are not affected. The later stands in contrast to General Motors' recent rash of high-profile recalls, and it's an important distinction that Chrysler (understandably) felt necessary to call out in bold print in its press release.

Stellantis is official: FCA and PSA merger finally sealed

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler and PSA sealed their long-awaited merger on Saturday to create Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest auto group with deep enough pockets to fund the shift to electric driving and take on bigger rivals Toyota and Volkswagen. It took over a year for the Italian-American and French automakers to finalize the $52 billion deal, during which the global economy was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. They first announced plans to merge in October 2019, to create a group with annual sales of around 8.1 million vehicles. "The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. that will lead the path to the creation of Stellantis N.V. became effective today," the two automakers said in a statement. Shares in Stellantis, which will be headed by current PSA Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, will start trading in Milan and Paris on Monday, and in New York on Tuesday. Now analysts and investors are turning their focus to how Tavares plans to address the huge challenges facing the group – from excess production capacity to a woeful performance in China. Tavares will hold his first press conference as Stellantis CEO on Tuesday, after ringing NYSE's bell with Chairman John Elkann. FCA and PSA have said Stellantis can cut annual costs by over 5 billion euros ($6.1 billion) without plant closures, and investors will be keen for more details on how it will do this. Marco Santino, a partner at consultants Oliver Wyman, said he expected Tavares to disclose the outlines of his action plan soon, but without divulging too many details at first. "He has proven to be the kind of person who prefers action to words, so I don't think he will make loud statements or try to over-sell targets," he said. Like all global automakers, Stellantis needs to invest billions in the years ahead to transform its vehicle range for the electric era. But other pressing tasks loom, including reviving the group's lagging fortunes in China, rationalizing its huge global empire and addressing massive overcapacity. "It will be a step by step process, also to allow the market to better appreciate every single move. I don't think we will have all the details before one year," Santino said.