Chrysler Recall Update: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Harman International Facing Massive Lawsuit for Jeep Hacking Scandal
It seems that things are about to get worse for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Following news of the Jeep hacking scandal that led to a huge recall of its vehicles, the Italian-American carmaker could face a massive lawsuit because of the security threat and risk posed by the dashboard system installed in the manufacturer's vehicles.
The potential lawsuit will not only affect the carmaker but also Harman International, which is the manufacturer of the Uconnect dashboard system installed in Chrysler's Jeep Cherokees.
According to Wired, three Jeep Cherokee owners filed a complaint on the carmaker and the computer system manufacturer on Tuesday. Plaintiffs George and Kelly Brown and Brian Flynn accused Chrysler and Harman with breach of warranty, fraud, negligence and unjust enrichment in their complaints. It has the potential to become a class action suit if more people will come forward and join the plaintiffs.
The complaints came in light of the 1.4 million vehicles Chrysler recalled last month as news of a breach in security in a Jeep Cherokee's Uconnect system surfaced.
In August, two computer-security researchers, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, successfully hacked into the system of a Jeep Cherokee and manipulated its transmission and steering as well as the brakes.
According to the complaint, the car manufacturer was informed by the two researchers via a paper they published of the vulnerabilities in the make of the system installed.
It pointed that "The [affected] Vehicles are defectively designed in that essential engine and safety functionality is connected to the unsecure uConnect system through the CAN bus." The CAN Bus links the UConnect system to these features, which in essence, is potentially dangerous.
The complaint further stated that, "Uconnect should be segregated from these other critical systems. There is no good reason for this current design."
According to the plaintiffs' lawyer, Michael Gras, the complaint's objective is for Chrysler to make a "proper recall that will fix the flaw and address the actual issue."
Meanwhile, Harman International clarified that the issue is isolated to Fiat Chrysler vehicles.
"We do not believe this problem exists in any other car outside of Fiat Chrysler," said Harman Chief Executive Dinesh Paliwal to Reuters.
Harman's Uconnect dashboard system is part of its infotainment products list and is the one installed in Chrysler vehicles, particularly the Jeep Cherokee.
The head of the company insisted that the system they provided is free from any risk.
"Our system was safe and secure," he added. "Once you leave the door of the house open, somebody will walk in and they can do whatever they want," Paliwal said in reference to a probable loophole in the network that might have caused the hacking.
Harman also supplies these systems to Daimler, Volvo and BMW.
Chrysler has yet to comment on the complaint filed against the company.
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