The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango have been recalled again -- this time, to repair a software glitch that could disable the vehicles' Electronic Stability Control system and potentially cause an accident.
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This is the sixth recall for the 2014 Durango and the eighth for the Grand Cherokee. Previous problems have included an electrical short that could disable the vehicles' airbags, a software issue that could cause the vehicles to keep accelerating when cruise control is activated, and corrosion that could interfere with the models' brakes.
The current iterations of the Grand Cherokee and Durango were launched during the 2011 model year, so although they're not fully new, both were "refreshed" for 2014. Sometimes, even a light touch-up can lead to big problems, which in turn can lead to an unusually high number of recalls, but even so, this may be pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable.
It might be worth noting that Chrysler's longtime quality supervisor, Doug Betts, quietly left the company yesterday "to pursue other interests". (Like, say, looking for jobs.) His departure came one day after Chrysler's disastrous performance on Consumer Reports' 2014 Annual Auto Reliability Survey. A curious coincidence, at best.
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