Challenger Recalled for Fire Risk; Dealers Will Pick Up, Fix Cars

Chrysler is telling about 2,500 owners of a 2013 Dodge Challenger in the U.S., Canada and Middle East to park their vehicle and contact their dealer on concerns that a short circuit in a wiring harness could cause a fire.

Only 2013 Challengers with a V6 built over an eight-week period that ended Jan. 24 are affected.

Dealers will arrange to pick up the cars and provide a loaner while repairs are made, at no cost to the customer.

The automaker notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday of the recall of 4,559 Challengers, but Chrysler started notifying customers by phone and mail on the weekend, said spokesman Eric Mayne.

The recall includes 2,159 vehicles currently owned by U.S. customers, an additional 1,900 on dealer lots, 50 sold in Canada and 350 sold in the Middle East, Mayne said.

The problem stems from a shipment of electric components that was not properly configured. It was actually the re-working of the component that was faulty, creating the potential for the wiring harness to overheat and catch fire.

There have been seven fires but no injuries, the automaker said in a statement.

As a precaution, owners are being told to not drive their vehicles and to not park them in or near buildings or parking structures until the problem is fixed, at no charge to customers.

The parts are unique to the muscle car. The Challenger is built in Brampton, Ontario, alongside the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, but the Charger and 300 are on a newer platform and not all parts are common with the older-generation Challenger.

Mayne would not say whether the problem stemmed from a supplier, the automaker or a combination of the two.