Chrysler recalls more than 330,000 Jeeps due to steering wheel that falls off

The upper control arm ball joint and steering knuckle may separate and cause the wheel to fall outward

Chrysler-Recall (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Chrysler is recalling more than 330,00 Jeep Grand Cherokees because of a steering wheel issue that may cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles.

The recall is for 338,238 of Chrysler's 2021-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L and 2022-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles.

The automaker says in documents posted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the upper control arm ball joint and steering knuckle may separate and cause the wheel to fall outward, which could result in losing control of the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Dealers will replace the upper control arm pinch bolts free of charge in impacted vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

Chrysler previously recalled more than 44,000 of its Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer vehicles in August 2023 over concerns they were equipped with airbags that could fail to deploy properly, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

And earlier this month Chrysler issued a recall of nearly 200,000 Jeep plug-in hybrid electric vehicles over concerns.

An incorrectly programmed hybrid control processor software could potentially cause the windshield defrost system to become disabled under certain conditions. The recall involves a total of 139,318 model year 2021-2024 Jeep Wrangler Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle SUVs and 59,825 model year 2022-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle SUVs.

The Jeep defect recall adds: “A disabled windshield defrost system may decrease outward visibility in certain driving conditions which may cause a crash without prior warning.”