Chrysler Recalls Over 71,000 Vehicles in New Campaigns

A new series of recalls by Chrysler was announced by the U.S. safety regulators today.

In total, Chrysler will recall 71,530 vehicles across the U.S. and Canada. The company will repair the issues through its dealer network at not charge to its customers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) said each of the three separate campaigns are expected to begin in August.

A group of Jeep Grand Cherokee and Compass utility vehicles equipped with premium headlights could be affected by a flaw that will cause the lights to turn off unexpectedly. A total of 4,674 units are affected between the U.S. and Canada, although the Compass was only included in the Canadian portion of the campaign. Drivers may find that while switching between their daytime running lights and parking lights, the lamps can shut off completely.

SEE ALSO: Chrysler Issues Four Separate Recalls: 560,000 Affected

Chrysler will also recall 66,856 of its Ram 1500 four-wheel drive pickups across North America because the electronic stability control module might be disabled when the vehicle is started. Starting in 2009, the U.S. government began phasing in mandatory stability control on all passenger vehicles under 10,000 lbs.

This is the latest in a long list of recalls by the Detroit automaker. More than a month ago, Chrysler made headlines for refusing to recall 2.7 million Jeep SUVs afte NHTSA requested the recall. The vehicles were found to be at risk for fires after a rear-end collision because their gas tank is positioned between the rear bumper and axle.

Eventually, Chrysler agreed to add a tow hitch to the affected vehicles even though it said the equipment would to little to improve safety in a high-impact rear-end collision.

SEE ALSO: Chrysler Refuses to Recall 2.7 Million Jeep SUVs

Two weeks ago, Chrysler also announced a pair of campaigns that will collectively affect about 560,000 vehicles in the U.S. One campaign included the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro, all of which could have a defective microcontroller that can compromise the active head restraint system.

Other affected vehicles included heavy-duty 2013 Ram pickup trucks and Chrysler minivans.

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