Investigation widens, bringing more systems under review
Fiat Chrysler’s recall of 1.4 million vehicles due to a flaw in its Uconnect “infotainment” system that could allow hackers to remotely control braking and acceleration was big news thanks to the scare factor and widespread nature of the problem, but it may be just the start of a larger story.
In an investigation filing July 29, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a request to infotainment provider Harman Kardon for further data. This means as many as 2.8 million systems installed in vehicles from a variety of automakers are now being checked for risk.
While manufacturers are never happy to have their names out there as part of an investigation into…well…anything really, this is actually smart crisis prevention from the NHTSA. Getting ahead of a potential problem as quickly as possible is a proven way to minimize the damage, and in this case that means both preventing safety issues and lowering cost to the various companies involved.
Erik & Jonathan Bernstein
www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com