There are a few things more unsettling than returning to your car only to find that it’s not where you left it. However, one of the things that may be more unsettling than that is then seeing that it has rolled down a hill, and into something precious, as might happen with certain 2023 Stellantis sedans.
The automaker is recalling 1,808 Chrysler 300s, Dodge Chargers, and Dodge Challengers over an issue with the parking brake. The vehicles, all built in September 2023, may have had their parking brakes improperly adjusted at the factory.
Read: A Dirty Tool Has Led To A Roll-Away Risk For Some Hondas And Acuras
Stellantis first became aware of the problem on September 12, when it received notice that some of the vehicles’ parking brakes weren’t engaging properly. The following day, the company initiated an engineering review in an effort to understand the part’s design, the manufacturing process, and how many vehicles were potentially impacted.
Fortunately, the fault was relatively limited in scope, and was related to an assembly issue, not a part defect. However, the problem could still be dangerous, and an improperly adjusted brake could allow a vehicle to roll away, increasing the likelihood of a crash. Stellantis knows all too well how grisly the consequences of a rollaway vehicle can be.
Among the vehicles identified above, the issue primarily affects the 2023 Dodge Charger, of which 1,034 units built between September 5 and 11 are included in this recall. Meanwhile, 641 Challengers and 133 Chrysler 300s — built during the same time period — are also affected.
To remedy the issue, Stellantis will start reaching out to owners on April 5. They will be asked to return their vehicle to a nearby dealership, where the parking brake will be properly adjusted, free of charge. It is not quite clear what went wrong on the line to cause this recall, but the question is somewhat academic, now that production of the affected vehicles has been ended.
