Just got a post card in the mail. WTH? Yeah, I HAD a 2012 and a 2014 Chrysler 300, but not any longer. So what was the problem??? I never had any shifter problems except for a sharp chrome edge on the shifter of my 2012 that cut me, but I had Chrysler replace that.

Danielle & Joby are in on this one - pay attention! http://www.fcagearshiftlitigation.com/

Another Audi "unintended acceleration" style complaint, were cars were reported to unintentionally accelerate at the exact same moment the braking system completely failed, and the fault could never be reproduced/discovered post crash?

What a well-written article - check this out:


Investigation Into FCA’s Monostable Shifter Finds 266 Crashes, 68 Injuries
By Matthew Guy on June 28, 2016

Like the rapidly accumulating clouds of an approaching thunderstorm, the number of crashes and injuries related to the misuse of Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s Monostable shifter are beginning to mushroom.

An investigation into the shifter, like the one in the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee which crushed and killed Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin, found 266 crashes that injured 68 people. Originally, the shifter was fingered in 121 crashes and 41 injuries.

Citing documents posted yesterday on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, the AP says investigators also found 686 consumer complaints about the shifters and said that FCA received negative customer feedback shortly after the vehicles went on sale. The agency closed its investigation last Friday after FCA agreed to speed up the global recall of 1.1 million vehicles.

According to reports, FCA has begun providing dealers with a software update for the affected vehicles, two months earlier than previously expected. FCA has also been exhorting customers to set parking brakes before exiting their vehicles and to follow instructions on information cards mailed out by the company.

Jack recently called for standardized operation of certain safety-related controls, and he may have a point. I have been using my recalled 2012 Charger as a daily driver for four years and still occasionally land in Neutral and not Reverse when attempting to execute a three-point turn. However, descriptions by other outlets of having to “push the lever forward three times” in order to engage Park from Drive are patently false; a good and firm push forward on the lever through three tactile detents will put the thing squarely in Park. To confirm, I just went out in my driveway and tried it.

The recall covers the 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee along with the 2012–2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300. The Monostable shifter has since been replaced with a more traditional lever in newer versions of these vehicles.

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So my question is, WHO IS JACK? Also, what is the cause for the lawsuit? Do vehicles shift out of selected gears & run people over? If you shift into park, does the vehicle remain in drive & then drive away? If you shift into park, is the car actually in neutral or reverse? After reading the article, you realize there is an issue, but what exactly is the issue?

The idiot driver who only "thinks" they shifted into park?

Hard to argue their is a problem, but when money is involved, the fingers normally always point away from the complainant.

" a good and firm push forward on the lever through three tactile detents will put the thing squarely in Park. To confirm, I just went out in my driveway and tried it."

The lawsuit I believe is from the family of the Star Trek guy who squished hisself.

When I first had my 2017 Ram I had issues one night. I always pull up and back into my driveway. I reached down and clicked the dial to reverse and proceeded to head right straight forward toward the neighbors garbage cans. I had turned down the heater fan.

Weren't they still using the old 5-speed and regular gated shifter in 2012? I thought the 8-speed and the funky shifter (same as audi) didn't show up until 2015?

Nope, 2012 to 2014 in cars, 2012 to 2015 in the Jeep. Rotary knob shifter used after that.

Funny thing, LOTS of other manufacturers used this shifter / switch, seems only FCA customers had troubles with it. A software update ( I refused all updates to my 2013) made it idiot proof. What's interesting is even before the update if you shut the car off while moving it would shift itself to park when it got under 1.7 MPH. So the people who had troubles not only failed to shut the car off, they also failed to put it in park. Now you can't even back up the car with a door open.

Weird, had a 12 charger 6.4 and 12 grand cherokee 3.6 and both were 5 speed

5 speed with the V8: 3.6 got the 8 speed starting in 2012, guessing the GC didn't get the 8 speed until '13? or maybe later in the 2012 model year In general the 8 speed rolled out in 2012, except the Challenger, didn't get it until 2015, to my knowledge, I wasn't aware of any other exceptions.

My wife has a '14 Grand Cherokee with the shifter that just bumps front and back. I hate it. You have no feel as to what gear you are in. Now I do not move without looking down at the shifter or dash (I'm not sure where it is, that's how little I drive it) to see what gear I am in. A few times I was not in the correct gear. Wanna talk about exileration!!! In my opinion, that shifter is a piece of crap! That's just my opinion.....

Rest assured, I don't care for it or the knob. If they HAD to change, why didn't we get pushbuttons?! LINCOLN got pushbuttons...

I think these designers must have all done some time with Microsoft. Take something that works more or less and improve it until it doesn't.

Kevin

I thought that was enacted for the 65 model year as far as shifters were concerned. That's why Mopar pushbuttons and Reverse at the bottom of a Hydramatic shift quadrant went bye bye. They all had to be a standard P R N D with a lever shift handle.

Kevin

Maybe they have changed it some but my Wife's 18 Durango R/T has this shifter and I love it. Its hard to believe it is just a switch and that there is no linkage. It is very easy to know what gear you are in and the manual feature makes it fun when you want to beat on the family cruiser lol.

Our '09 300 had a real shifter, but I did rent a 2012 300 Rental ONCE, while on Vac.
I remember bitching about that new(at the time) pos shifter every single time I got in the car.
Never rented another one after that, specifically because I remembered that experience.

Luckily the Wife's 2018 Charger does NOT have that style in it... or she wouldn't have bought it.
I hope they demoted/fired the guy that designed it (along with whoever did the 2011-14 300 remodel in general)

Really? I wasn't even interested until the 2011 restyle came along. I'd still have my '13 300 if I hadn't stumbled over a great deal on the 2016 I have now.

Yep... that was the year (2011-14) they purposely re-targeted the car towards the soccer mom set.
Changed the belt line at the bottom of the windows that previously gave the car it's chopped look, added the rear 1/4 window & inserted the smaller slotted grill. Apparently someone didn't like the fact that the car had become a favorite in the Hood. My Wife loved her '09 and wouldn't even consider the car again until the 2015 redesign, where they at least made an attempt to return the front of the car back to what it was. The same year Ralph Gilles... (head of design at the time) said "they wanted to give the car some of it's balls back". Unfortunately they also decided to only put the 392 in 300's destined for the Middle East.

I had a 2012 300 - had the crap shifter & there was also a very sharp edge along the chrome trim in the shifter that cut me several times - finally I asked the dealer to replace it & they did for no charge, then a 2014 300 with the crap shifter, & now I have a 2016 with the rotary dial shifter. The rotary shifter is much better, but I would still prefer a "conventional" style like a slap-stick where you can actually FEEL it! I have to say though, I LOVE the 300's, & I love the styling of all of the 3 I've had so far. The 3.6L is an amazing motor as well. One thing I don't like about this '16 is a very harsh final downshift where it almost slams into low gear when you are rolling to a slow stop. I don't know if there is a remedy for this or not???

These 300's are smooth, quiet, & EXTREMELY solid riding cars!! It makes my wife's 2013 Edge feel like a rattletrap. The Edge can't hold a candle to a 300.