By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
Chrysler Group says it is recalling some 2011 and 2012 Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s because a fuse can cause anti-lock brakes and stability systems to fail.
Chrysler recalled about 10,000 police versions of the vehicles in February for a similar problem: A fuse holder can expand and contract and damage an electrical component, interrupting power to the anti-lock function of the brakes, as well as the electronic stability control. The car’s conventional brakes continue to work, even though the anti-lock feature is disabled, Chrysler says.
Regular versions of the cars sold to individuals weren’t recalled at the same time, Chrysler says, because the police problem was thought to be the result of “extreme duty cycles” that would be unlikely in a normal vehicle.
But it began checking reports of similar issues in ordinary cars to see if the problem were larger. The automaker decided it was.
Affected: 2011 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger models built May 6, 2010 to July 26, 2011, and 2012 models built Feb. 9 2011 to Dec. 20, 2011.
In addition to 119,072 U.S.-market vehicles, Chrysler is recalling 8,274 Canadian-market models.
Here’s Chrysler’s statement:
Chrysler Group LLC will conduct a voluntary safety recall of approximately 119,072 U.S.-market 2011 and 2012 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans.