Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Fiat Chrysler isn’t enjoying the best of times right now. To name two of the carmaker’s wrongdoings, certain Jeep vehicles have been equipped with a confusing shifter and the company still sells cars with potentially defective airbags. To make matters worse, Maserati North America is also subjected to a recall over the design of its shifter.
NHTSA campaign number 16V424000 informs that Maserati North America will recall 13,092 cars manufactured between June 1, 2013, and February 28, 2014. The models affected are certain Quattroporte and Ghibli vehicles from the 2014 model year.
As per the NHTSA, the mono-stable gear selector “may mislead owners about which gear the vehicle is in and may not adequately warn the driver when driver's door is opened and the vehicle is not in PARK, allowing them to exit the vehicle while the vehicle is still in gear.”
As a consequence, drivers, passengers or passersby may be struck and injured by the vehicle in a moment of carelessness. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first informed Maserati about this problem relating to the counterintuitive shifter on February 5. In the U.S., Maserati has received 10 complaints of shifter confusion in 2014 MY Ghibli and Quattroporte vehicles. Annoyingly, a fix isn’t available right now.
According to Maserati, the automaker is now “investigating whether a software re-flash possibility (for drive away inhibit) to be uploaded into the vehicle can be a viable solution to this issue.” After the solution is verified and validated, then the automaker will inform owners that the nearest dealers await them and their cars.
If you happen to own a 2014 model year Maserati Quattroporte or a 2014 model year Maserati Ghibli equipped with the ZF-developed 8-speed automatic transmission, please verify if your Italian sedan is subjected to this safety recall on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website. Worried owners may also contact the government’s watchdog at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).
As per the NHTSA, the mono-stable gear selector “may mislead owners about which gear the vehicle is in and may not adequately warn the driver when driver's door is opened and the vehicle is not in PARK, allowing them to exit the vehicle while the vehicle is still in gear.”
As a consequence, drivers, passengers or passersby may be struck and injured by the vehicle in a moment of carelessness. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first informed Maserati about this problem relating to the counterintuitive shifter on February 5. In the U.S., Maserati has received 10 complaints of shifter confusion in 2014 MY Ghibli and Quattroporte vehicles. Annoyingly, a fix isn’t available right now.
According to Maserati, the automaker is now “investigating whether a software re-flash possibility (for drive away inhibit) to be uploaded into the vehicle can be a viable solution to this issue.” After the solution is verified and validated, then the automaker will inform owners that the nearest dealers await them and their cars.
If you happen to own a 2014 model year Maserati Quattroporte or a 2014 model year Maserati Ghibli equipped with the ZF-developed 8-speed automatic transmission, please verify if your Italian sedan is subjected to this safety recall on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website. Worried owners may also contact the government’s watchdog at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).
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