Dodge, Mitsubishi Pick-Up Trucks Recalled After Child’s Death

Almost 67,000 Dodge and Mitsubishi manual transmission pick-up trucks have been recalled following the death of a small child, who was run over due to problems with the clutch. 

The Chrysler pick-up truck recall was announced on December 29, following a fatality report recorded in May, when a small child was able to enter a Dodge Ram 3500 manual pick-up truck and crank the ignition without the clutch depressed. As a result, the vehicle moved forward and struck another child. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believes the fatality to be the only incident recorded.

The incident was reported in May, and the NHTSA has been investigating the vehicles to determine whether a safety hazard exists. After review, the agency concluded that the manual transmission vehicles pose a safety hazard due to the trucks ability to start without the clutch depressed, posing a no-start condition or unintentional movement.

The FCA USA, LLC, formerly known as Chrysler Group, recalled the vehicles claiming the alternative wire may break over time resulting in a no-start condition or unintentional movement. The recall consists of 66,819 model year 2006-2007 Dodge Dakota, Mitsubishi Raider and Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 models manufactured from July 1, 2005 to July 31, 2006. All impacted vehicles are equipped with manual transmissions that have return springs in the clutch ignition interlock switch that may break.

About 54,558 of the recalled trucks are in the United States, 4,356 in Canada, 7,648 in Mexico and another 257 outside of North America.

According to the NHTSA, affected owners will be notified starting February 13.The owners will be instructed to schedule an appointment at their local dealer to have the clutch ignition interlock switch replaced free of charge. Until the vehicles are repaired, customers should activate their parking brakes, place their shift lever in neutral, and press the clutch pedal before turning the ignition key to be safe. Customer with further questions may contact FCA’s customer service at 1-800-853-1403 and reference recall code “P80”.