Chrysler will recall about 491 Fiat 500e electric vehicles from the 2013 model year because they may lose power due to a mechanical flaw unrelated to the electric powertrain, the automaker informed in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in an Aug. 20 letter. The fasteners that attach the inboard ends of the driveshafts to the transmission could loosen, resulting “in a loss of drive capability,” Chrysler said in the letter.
Chrysler told the safety agency that it began investigating the problem on Aug. 2 after receiving a report of a failure. The automaker learned that during a factory repair – the replacement of powertrain motors and transmissions – the original fasteners used to attach the axle half shafts to the transmission were mistakenly reused, causing the fasteners in some vehicles to come loose. The powertrain motors and gearboxes had been replaced “to maintain consistency with our quality standards,” Eric Mayne, a Chrysler spokesman, wrote in an e-mail. He said the problem was found during routine quality checks.
Chrysler said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem.
The automaker described the recall as voluntary, but once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem it must – within five business days – inform N.H.T.S.A. of its plan for a recall or face a civil fine.
Mr. Mayne added that only 156 of the nearly 500 Fiat 500e E.V.s had the motors and transmissions replaced, adding that the larger recall was ordered because Chrysler wanted to be “thorough” in correcting the problem.
