According to automotive regulators, some Land Rover SUVs and Jaguar XF sedans have been reported to cause injuries after the vehicles rolled away while parked.
Seven reports were received of rollaway vehicles for the following models: year 2012-2014 Land Rover Evoque sport-utility vehicles; and 2013 Jaguar XF sedan vehicles.
It’s thought that approximately 39,000 vehicles could be affected by the problem though, which is a lot of potential accidents waiting to happen…
Rollaway vehicles
After receiving the reports, a preliminary evaluation was opened on 16 December 2016. The reports detail that injuries were caused to four persons when the driver’s door was left open, and another report details that a person was pinned against a garage wall by an affected model.
According to the report, the drivers said that the vehicles’ transmission had been shifted to park, but none of the said vehicles had the parking brake on at the time of the incidents.
Death caused by rollaway Jeep
Rollaway vehicles can present a huge safety risk. Star Trek actor, Anton Yelchin, was killed when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee pinned him against his mailbox, with his death reportedly the result of the confusion surrounding the use of a mono-stable gear selector on some Chrysler models.
The U.S. Center for Auto Safety noted:
“Yelchin’s death is unfortunately the latest example of industry and government incompetence in the face of vehicle safety defects.”
Preliminary evaluation necessary
A preliminary evaluation will be undertaken to see whether the vehicles need to be recalled or not. Within the evaluation, regulators and automakers will need to take into consideration the consumer complaints in order to find out why the vehicles are rolling away despite being parked. If no safety defects are established then the preliminary investigation may be closed.
If the evaluation is escalated, regulators can recreate the situation in a controlled environment. Depending on the outcome of those tests, full or partial recalls can then potentially be enforced.
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