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Electric Car Maker Issues Third Recall

Northern Indiana manufacturer of fully electric vehicles has issued its third recall in six weeks affecting the same group of 23 vehicles.

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) -- A northern Indiana manufacturer of fully electric vehicles has issued its third recall in six weeks affecting the same group of 23 vehicles.

Think North America has filed documents with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recalling 23 City electric cars after one dealer and two owners reported the vehicles had rolled forward when the gearshift was in the park position, The Elkhart Truth reported Wednesday.

The cars, assembled in Elkhart from Dec. 8 to 22, had improperly adjusted gear shift levers, the company said.

All of the affected cars have already been inspected and serviced, company spokesman Brendan Prebo said.

"We've had some problems, but where we've had the problems, we've addressed them and fixed them," he said.

The recalled cars were some of the first assembled at the Norwegian company's Elkhart plant, and all were delivered to Indianapolis. The vehicles were either serviced at a dealership that Think partners with or on-site at the owner's location, the newspaper report said.

Think City cars manufactured in January were tested for similar defects, but none were found, according to NHTSA documents.

Think opened its first North American plant in Elkhart last year, with production beginning in October. The company expects to make about 2,500 cars in Elkhart this year.

The group of 23 vehicles involved in the gearshift adjustments was also involved in two January recalls.

On Jan. 19, Think issued a recall on 16 of the 23 vehicles because of concern over a possible seat belt installation error. In some vehicles, according to NHTSA filings, the driver side and passenger side seat belt subassemblies may have been put on the wrong sides.

The passenger side device contained a mechanism needed to properly retain a child car safety seat, making a switch of the subassemblies necessary. The error was discovered by the company in late December and it confirmed further vehicle shipments had properly installed components.

On Jan. 21, the company filed paperwork with the NHTSA for another recall, this one related to the defrosting system on those same 23 cars. Fluid heater assemblies were performing poorly in three cars, potentially leading to the defroster being unable to clear the windshield in cold conditions.

The assembly errors have prompted adjustments at the Elkhart plant, Prebo said.

"We've added additional procedures to make sure we've taken care of the problem," he said.

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