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On February 15, 2002, The Chrysler Group, a unit of
DaimlerChrysler Corporation, announced the recall of Jeep Grand Wagoneer
vehicles from model year 1993 equipped with automatic transmissions.
The recall was made as a result of a defectively designed transmission
that could allow the vehicle to shift suddenly from park into reverse,
even when the engine is not running. |
The Alleged Jeep Reverse Defect |
Jeep Grand Wagoneers with the defect may appear to
be in park. However, a hidden internal shaft lever within the transmission
can actually land on a flat space between reverse and park, leaving the
car in hydraulic neutral. From this spot, referred to as "false
park mode," slight vibrations or movements can allegedly cause the
Jeep's lever to slip into reverse gear and the Jeep to move.
For 1993 Jeep Wagoneers that have not been repaired under the recall,
the shift from park to reverse could occur when the Jeep's motor is
running or shut off. A door slamming, or even an air conditioner cycling,
could cause the shifter to slip and move the vehicle into reverse.
According to press reports, the rate of park to reverse complaints for
a similar vehicle, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, was more than five times
greater than for any similar SUV made by a different company. Prior to
the recall, more than 860 people complained to the government or to DaimlerChrysler
about "inadvertent rollway in reverse" incidents involving
Jeep Grand Cherokees, which were blamed for at least 359 crashes, 184
injuries and five deaths. |
About "Park to Reverse" Defects |
In March 2007, Lieff Cabraser partners Robert J. Nelson
and Scott P. Nealey served as lead trial counsel in a five week trial
and obtained a $55.2
million verdict for the family of a young father killed due to the park-to-reverse
defect with a 1991 Dodge Dakota pickup truck ($5.2 million in compensatory
damages and 50 million in punitive damages). Lieff Cabraser has handled
and settled numerous park-to-reverse injury cases in the last five years,
yet the Mraz case was the first trial regarding this defect in a number
of years. A "park to reverse" defect is found in vehicles in
which it is possible for drivers to place the vehicle's automatic transmission
shift selector into a position between park and reverse during normal
vehicle operations. This shift position is also referred to as "false
park" or "illusory park."
False park is a very dangerous defect because it appears to the driver
that the vehicle is fully in park--the vehicle idles as it does in
neutral and feels and sounds as it would in park--and the driver may
exit the vehicle with the engine running (e.g., to load the car, get
the mail, etc.) where upon the vehicle can self shift into powered
reverse, runing over the driver or a bystander.
When a vehicle is in false park, the transmission is neither in park
nor in hydraulic reverse, but instead it is in an unstable position between
the two gears. Slight movements can cause the vehicle to self-shift into
reverse. When the vehicle is running, this will cause the vehicle to
move backwards unexpectedly under power. |
2009 Update |
On September 24, 2009, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court overseeing the Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings approved the payment of $24 million for the wrongful death of longshoreman Richard Mraz. The settlement is believed to be one of the largest ever of an individual wrongful death action involving an auto manufacturer. The settlement occurred while the case was on appeal from a verdict finding Chrysler's disregard of consumer safety led to the death of a Southern California father of three children. "We're gratified that the Bankruptcy Court has approved the settlement, and the action has been resolved," stated Lieff Cabraser attorney Robert J. Nelson, who served as lead trial and appellate counsel. "We hope that the new Chrysler Corporation will never put short-term profits ahead of the safety of its customers." Learn more.... |
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How to Get Your Jeep Repaired |
DaimlerChrysler has agreed to modify the 1993 Jeep
Grand Wagoneer by installing a secondary detent system. Please call DaimlerChrysler
at 1-800-853-1403 or visit your nearest Jeep dealer. |
Jeep Grand Wagoneer Transmission Defect Attorneys | Lawyers |
Lieff Cabraser represents Jeep Grand Wagoneer owners
and others injured in accidents allegedly caused by the vehicle unexpectedly
moving into reverse.
If you or a family member have suffered any injury due to a Jeep Grand
Wagoneer unexpectedly shifting into reverse and would like to learn
more about your legal rights and remedies, please click
here to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser. |
Terminology |
The issue of Park-to-Reverse is one that is described
in many different ways both in lawsuits and in how people
commonly refer to the issue. Such terms and phrases include:
park to reverse, unintentional rearward movement, unintended
rearward movement, unintentional reverse, unintended reverse,
unintentional acceleration, unintended acceleration, powered
reverse, failure to hold in park, slipped gear, inadvertant
movement, inadvertant rearward movement, jumped into reverse,
kicked into reverse, slipped into reverse, change gear,
changed gear, back over, backed over, roll backwards, lurched
backwards, roll back, rolled back, rearward runaway, accidental
shift, shift alone, shift suddently, shift into reverse,
shift out of park, switch gears, went into reverse. |
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