Jeep Cherokees recalled in Australia for stuck-on cruise control fix

A recall relating to faulty cruise control systems on Fiat Chrysler vehicles has rolled out in Australia, with almost 3000 Jeep Cherokees affected.

Jeep’s parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has already recalled almost 5 million Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram products in the US after the country’s roads safety watchdog warned owners not to use the vehicles’ cruise control system.

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The warning was issued after fears were aired that the system fitted to petrol-engined vehicles using automatic transmissions could lock on the cruise control if a short circuit happened while the vehicle was accelerating uphill.

FCA said owners could override the system by using the brakes to bring the vehicle to a stop, or by flicking the transmission into neutral. Cruise control would also cancel once the stopped car was shifted into the transmission Park position.

Australia’s recall relates to petrol versions of the Cherokee fitted with an automatic transmission and sold between 2014 and 2018. It is believed the recall may also scoop up versions of the Chrysler 300, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Jeep Wrangler. Fiat Chrysler Australia was asked for comment on the likelihood of the local recall expanding to include these models.

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The Australian recall accounts for about a third of the Cherokees that Jeep sold during the recall period.

FCA said it was not aware of any injuries in the US caused by the fault, which was first identified in late May.

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If the Jeep Grand Cherokee is added to the recall, it scoops up Fiat Chrysler Australia’s biggest selling model that accounts for roughly three out of every five sales for the brand. However, the large SUV class leans heavily towards more fuel-efficient diesel-engined models, limiting the number of Grand Cherokees likely to be added to the recall campaign.