NEWS-04
Hollywood actor Anton Yelchin, early Sunday, now say he suffered severe
head and chest injuries when his SUV rolled down a driveway, pinning him
against a fence and mailbox.>
because of a danger with the gear shifter. But getting customers to act on
recalls in general can be a challenge.>
Cherokee>
(00:11:54): Investigators looking into the cause of the tragic death of Hollywood actor Anton Yelchin, early Sunday, now say he suffered severe head and chest injuries when his SUV rolled down a driveway, pinning him against a fence and mailbox. The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, part of a North American recall because of a danger with the gear shifter. But getting customers to act on recalls in general can be a challenge. As NBC`s Tom Costello tells us.
(Begin VT)
TOM COSTELLO (00:12:23): Authorities in L.A. now say twenty-seven-year-old Anton Yelchin died within a minute of being pinned and crushed after his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down the driveway; the cause--still under investigation. But federal investigators have documented at least two hundred twelve crashes and forty-one injuries related to the SUV`s electronic gear shifter, which springs back to a center position after the driver selects a gear.
MAN (00:12:47): You push it forward like this and you think it`s in park. It`s now in reverse.
TOM COSTELLO (00:12:50): Michael Brick says his Jeep suddenly began moving when he stopped at a gas station with one of his kids in the car.
MICHAEL BRICK (00:12:56): I got out of the car, pumped gas and the car just started rolling backwards.
TOM COSTELLO (00:12:59): He managed to jump back in just in time. Fiat Chrysler believes drivers are responsible--not paying attention to the gear display on the gear shift and dashboard. But in April, the company did issue a recall involving a million vehicles, warning, "Drivers may inadvertently fail to achieve the park position before exiting the vehicle."
PHIL LEBEAU (CNBC Auto Industry Reporter) (00:13:20): They think it`s the driver error. But there`s no one hundred percent proof that this is not related to the software or the mechanics in the gear shifter.
TOM COSTELLO (00:13:28): Chrysler tells NBC News the recall involves a software upgrade for the gear shifter that should be ready in July and August.
(00:13:37): But typically, thirty to forty percent of drivers don`t get their cars fixed after receiving a recall notice.
MICHELLE KREBS (autotrader.com) (00:13:41): There has become this consumer recall fatigue because there have been so many recalls.
TOM COSTELLO (00:13:50): The question, will a Hollywood actor`s death convince Jeep drivers to take this fix seriously.
(00:13:54): Tom Costello, NBC News, Washington.
(End VT)
LESTER HOLT (00:13:58): There is more ahead tonight. Danger at dentists, how patients can be sense spiraling in to a powerful addiction that could be having very common procedure.
(00:14:06): Also suspects arrested for the massive weapons arsenal in their vehicle. The detail that led police right to it.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
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