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Yelchin was killed when his SUV rolled backward in the steep
driveway of his Los Angeles home and pinned him against a brick
wall and a fence. The accident is under investigation, and it is
not known whether the specific recall defect, which can cause
the vehicle to roll away after a driver exits, led to Yelchin's
death.
But consumer safety advocates say the incident shows an urgent
need to improve how recalls are handled, with a record number of
unrepaired U.S. vehicles still on the road as drivers wait for
fixes that can take many months to arrive.
Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto
Safety, said Yelchin's accident is touching a nerve in a way
that traditional recalls have not. "Many consumers may think:
'If it could happen to Chekov, it could happen to me,'" he said,
referring to the Star Trek character portrayed by Yelchin.
Yelchin's SUV was one of 1.1 million vehicles recalled by Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles NV in April over the potential to roll
away. Forty-one injuries, as well as crashes and property
damage, have been linked to the problem.
Los Angeles police and the automaker are separately
investigating whether the recall defect caused the crash. The
U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said
it is in touch with both to hear their findings.
Fiat Chrysler told dealers last month that a fix would be ready
no later than July or August after initially telling owners a
fix wouldn't be ready until late this year. Owners still have
not gotten official notice of their fix, but some dealers are
now making appointments to repair some of the recalled vehicles,
company spokesman Eric Mayne said.
Citing Yelchin's death, Ditlow urged Fiat Chrysler Chief
Executive Sergio Marchionne in a letter to notify owners not to
drive such vehicles until they are repaired and to provide free
loaner or rental cars in the interim.
"If there's any silver lining in this it will prompt more
attention to recalls," Ditlow said. "There was no sense of
urgency on Chrysler's part" to get the fix in place.
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RECORD NUMBER OF RECALLS
Automakers have recalled record numbers of U.S. vehicles, including
about 100 million cars and trucks in 2014 and 2015 combined. Defects
range from exploding air bag inflators to faulty ignition switches
and electronic glitches.
Allowing owners to continue to drive recalled vehicles for months
until a fix is in place may mean they take recall issues less
seriously, said Sean Kane, president of Massachusetts-based Safety
Research & Strategies Inc and an auto safety advocate.
"We are seeing recalls being announced constantly and consumers are
being chastised about getting their recalls completed - and in the
meantime sometimes the recalls aren't even available," Kane said
Tuesday.
Carfax, a provider of used-car history reports, estimates that more
than 47 million U.S. vehicles have at least one uncompleted recall -
or nearly one in five vehicles - up 27 percent over a year earlier.
Jacqueline Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto
Safety, said policymakers are struggling to find an answer.
"We've had so many millions and millions of vehicles that some
people don't feel a sense of urgency," said Gillan, whose group
backs legislation to bar used cars with uncompleted recalls from
being sold.
The Obama administration has acknowledged the need to boost repair
rates. In January, it announced a voluntary agreement with 18 major
automakers to employ new ways to increase safety recall
participation rates.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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