LOS ANGELES: The car that fatally crushed “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin had been under recall over fears that it could roll off without warning, it emerged on Monday. Friends discovered the Russian-born actor pinned against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence at his California home by his Jeep Grand Cherokee in the early hours of Sunday.
Investigators said the actor, who was just 27, had momentarily got out of the vehicle when it rolled backward down the steep driveway toward him.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in February that 2015 models of the SUV like Yelchin’s could continue to move after drivers thought they had locked them in “park,” and linked the issue to more than 100 crashes.
Manufacturer Fiat Chrysler’s US unit issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of Jeep Grand Cherokees and other models in April to address the problem.
However, FCA US said it had not found a permanent remedy and mainly advised owners to double-check that their car was in “park” as intended.
“Drivers thinking that their vehicle’s transmission is in the PARK position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out... while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged,” the NHTSA said.
Investigators said the actor, who was just 27, had momentarily got out of the vehicle when it rolled backward down the steep driveway toward him.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in February that 2015 models of the SUV like Yelchin’s could continue to move after drivers thought they had locked them in “park,” and linked the issue to more than 100 crashes.
Manufacturer Fiat Chrysler’s US unit issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of Jeep Grand Cherokees and other models in April to address the problem.
However, FCA US said it had not found a permanent remedy and mainly advised owners to double-check that their car was in “park” as intended.
“Drivers thinking that their vehicle’s transmission is in the PARK position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out... while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged,” the NHTSA said.
