Fiat Chrysler issued a recall of 1.4 million vehicles to work on flawed software that renders the vehicles vulnerable to hack attacks such as remote controlling the vehicle, steering the wheel, and even tampering on the engine and brakes.
The recall applies to certain vehicles that carry 8.4-inch touch screens starting from the 2013 model and onward.
So these include some Grand Cherokees, Jeep Cherokees, Ram pickup trucks, and Chrysler 200 and 300 sedans among others.
The vehicle's vulnerability to hackers was first revealed by two tech researchers who demonstrated to tech magazine Wired how easy it was to hack a Jeep Cherokee via Chrysler's Uconnect system.
The hacking was so successful that the Jeep's systems can be controlled even by sitting miles away from it.
The researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek informed the carmaker before revealing their findings. Fiat Chrysler then released a downloadable patch that customers can use to update the system as a response.
However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) felt that a formal recall is required, to which Chrysler agreed.
NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind said in his Friday statement that the right step to protect customers of Fiat Chrysler is to launch a recall.
Rosekind also said that it sets a perfect example of how their agency and the car industry tackle issues of cybersecurity, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.
The recall does not necessarily mean that Chrysler owners should bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer, but rather a USB drive containing the program update will be sent to owners so they can install the new patch.
In a statement issued last Friday, Chrysler said that they don't have any knowledge about any complaints, accidents, injuries, or warrant claims associated with the software problem.
The company also mentioned in the statement that it has appointed a special team that will work on "software development and integration" to reestablish the vehicle's security features.
