The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put an end to its probe into rollaway incidents involving specific Ram 1500 pickup trucks and Dodge Durango SUVs. NHTSA opted not to issue a recall. The start of this inquiry was in December 2016. The gear shifter inquiry involving Dodge and Ram covered around 1.3 million Ram 1500 pickup trucks produced from 2013 to 2017. The list also included Dodge Durango SUVs manufactured from 2014 to 2017.

Probe Ends: Dogde and Ram Gear Shifter, No Recall

Dodge and Ram probe closed and ends without recall. Finally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded years of investigation involving these cars. The Associated Press, as shared in Star Advertiser website, revealed the concern centered around modern electronic rotary gear selector knobs.

They marked a departure from the traditional mechanical shifters operated with a lever for gear selection. These knobs can be rotated left or right and feature detents that audibly click into place.

According to documents released on its website on Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that both itself and Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler, had received approximately 1,500 complaints regarding incidents where the vehicles would start moving after drivers had placed them in the "park" position.

After reviewing the incidents where cars continued to roll away even after the software update, investigators were unable to identify a particular flaw that was causing the problems. Following the service campaign, the company observed a significant decrease in client complaints.

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Stellantis agreed with the NHTSA's conclusions and expressed satisfaction with the favorable consumer response to their update. As a result, the agency found that no further action is necessary at this time because there isn't an identified safety flaw. Consequently, the  and ends without recall.

What Initiated the Probe

According to reports, in 2016, the federal agency initiated an investigation into electronic rotary gear shifters provided by Kostal Automotive, focusing on the 2013-2016 1500s and 2014-2016 Durangos. Afterwards, the 2017 model year was added to the evaluation, covering a total of more than 1.28 million cars.

In contrast to the conventional mechanical shifters that used a lever for gear selection, the dial-shaped gear selectors were innovative at the time. With the rotary shifter, the driver simply turns the knob, which clicks into place to engage the next gear.

NHTSA and Stellantis NV, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, received notifications of 1,448 instances where vehicles rolled away after being placed in the "park" position.

There were 149 injuries and one fatality from the 684 accidents or fires that occurred in these incidents. As shared in the Kelly Blue Book, the 2016 Dodge Durango with the option for seven-passenger seating and an optional V8 engine, it presents an appealing and attractive choice.

Its spacious interior is versatile for both passengers and cargo, and the 2016 Durango boasts an attractive design inside and out. In addition, compared to a Honda Pilot or GMC Acadia, it is more versatile with five different variants available.

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