Firepower is exactly what you want in a muscle car, but only if the flames remain inside the engine.
Dodge recently won the award for the most ironic safety risk when it issued a recall on certain model year 2017 Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcats, which could suffer oil-line failures that could cause them to catch fire, according to the NHTSA report. The recall was issued Aug. 8, and extends to 1,209 vehicles manufactured between Feb. 6 and May 30.
The the Hellcats in question reportedly were fitted with a faulty batch of hoses. Dodge claims that if the sub-par hoses break, it would result in a “rapid loss of engine oil.”
Should that occur, “the customer may experience impaired visibility due to oil spray on the windshield, engine seizure and/or a potential risk of fire due to engine oil contacting a hot surface,” the recall reads. “The rapid loss of engine oil and the resulting impaired visibility can cause vehicle crash without prior warning.”
Although most people who buy a 707-horsepower Hellcat do so knowing full well that their tires will eventually be turned into a cloud of smoke, they probably didn’t anticipate that their entire car could too. Thankfully, though, Fiat Chrylser Automobiles hadn’t received any reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue as of July 28.
FCA will send letters to owners of the affected vehicles in September, and will replace the faulty parts free of charge.
Thumbnail photo via Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
