NHTSA closes investigation into Dodge, Ram rollaway concerns, finds no vehicle defects

Federal safety regulators say they found no defect or vehicle design issue in cases of 2013-17 Ram 1500 pickups and 2014-17 Dodge Durango SUVs rolling away after the drivers had left their vehicles, apparently believing they had placed them in park.

However, the automaker, now known as Stellantis, did issue an update to address the situation.

An AutoPark update now automatically places vehicles in “PARK” if the driver attempts to exit the vehicle before placing the rotary gear shift selector in the "PARK" position, according to the company.

The investigation began in 2016 when regulators looked into 43 rollaway incidents where drivers asserted they had shifted the vehicles into park before leaving. Twenty-five of those incidents involved crashes and eight said there was at least one injury, according to a regulatory document. The decision to close the case, which involved vehicles with an electronic rotary shifter, means there will be no vehicle recall.

The case, which involved a total vehicle population of almost 1.3 million trucks and SUVs, is separate from the one highlighted by the rollaway crash in 2016 that took the life of “Star Trek” film actor Anton Yelchin, who had played Chekov, when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backward down his driveway and crushed him. In that case, the automaker, then known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, issued a recall and fix.

More: Stellantis recalls more than 32,000 hybrid Jeep Wrangler SUVs for potential fire risk

In the Ram 1500 and Dodge Durango case, regulators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated they were satisfied with the results of Stellantis' actions.

NHTSA, which noted that customer complaints had “decreased significantly,” closed the investigation on Thursday.

More: Jeep Cherokee rollaway risk leads to recall from FCA

“During the course of this investigation, (NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation) did not find evidence that a vehicle-based design or manufacturing defect was the cause of vehicle rollaway incidents on the subject vehicles. Nevertheless, given the risk of a vehicle rollaway, FCA’s (customer satisfaction notification) actions provide automated vehicle securement when an operator attempts to exit the vehicle without successfully achieving a Park position with the rotary shifter mechanism,” according to a NHTSA document.

Stellantis spokesman Eric Mayne provided a company statement:

“We concur with the finding that there is no design defect and are pleased that our update appears to have resonated with customers.”

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NHTSA closes investigation into Dodge, Ram rollaways