Federal regulators are investigating certain Dodge Ram pickup models for ignition switch problems that have allowed the vehicles to start even when the clutch isn't engaged.
Officially launched on May 19, the investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration involves around 110,000 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups from model years 2004-06, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.
The agency is aware of three reports of pickups starting without the clutch being depressed, one of which resulted in a tragic fatality. On Aug. 25, a young child climbed into a truck and started it, striking another child, who died as a result. A 2006 Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickup was reportedly involved in that incident.
"The clutch interlock safety switch had not been tampered with and was in its original condition," the truck owner wrote in the fatal accident complaint, as quoted by The Associated Press. "The switch has been tested and found to be defective."
In another reported accident, a truck that started while someone was working on it knocked the person over; however, the person was not injured.
Interlock mechanisms that deter the motor from starting unless the clutch is engaged are required for vehicles with manual transmissions, according to the AP report.
Chrysler is working with the NHTSA to further the investigation, the company said in a statement provided to the AP.
The investigation comes in the wake of problematic ignition switches in around 2.6 recalled small cars built by General Motors. Linked to dozens of crashes and at least 13 deaths, the faulty switches will be replaced in a massive recall that is scheduled to be completed by October.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
