Fiat Chrysler recalls nearly 5 million vehicles that could get stuck in cruise control

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has announced a massive recall of 4.8 million vehicles in the United States over concerns that they could get stuck in cruise control, the company announced today. FCA is urging customers with affected vehicles to avoid using cruise control until they visit a service center to have the car’s software upgraded. Fiat Chrysler says it is “unaware of any related injuries or accidents involving the affected vehicles.”

The problem in question can arise when, while using cruise control, these vehicles accelerate to maintain the set speed. While unlikely, FCA says, there’s a chance that this could happen at the same time as a short circuit in a “specific electrical network” in the car, which could leave the car stuck in cruise control.

In this situation, it apparently wouldn’t be possible to cancel cruise control by tapping the brakes or using the buttons on the car’s steering wheel. Cruise control could still be “overpowered by the vehicle’s brakes” or stopped by “shifting into neutral and braking accordingly,” FCA says.

FCA says it will alert affected customers starting next week, and it will upgrade the software on these cars to fix the potential issue free of charge. The company is working with the North American Free Trade Agreement’s vehicle safety and regulatory compliance office to handle an unidentified number of additional affected vehicles in Canada, Mexico, and “certain markets outside the NAFTA region.” Concerned customers can call 866-220-6747 or their dealers for more information. Here’s a list of affected vehicles: