Chrysler recall: Dodge Calibers have sticky gas pedals

Chrysler will voluntarily recall about 25,000 Dodge Calibers and 71 Jeep Compass sports utility vehicles because of sticky gas pedals – the same problem that caused Toyota to recall 2.3 million vehicles in January.

The recalled Chryslers are all from the 2007 model year and were manufactured between March 7 and May 19, 2006, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement Friday. Chrysler received five complaints of sticky gas pedals prior to the recall.

Chrysler estimates that 30 percent of the recalled vehicles could have sticky accelerator pedals. But in a letter to the NHTSA written Thursday, the car company says that its “smart brake technology" minimizes risk of sudden acceleration in affected vehicles by enabling the brake pedal to override the accelerator.

Chrysler concluded that the accelerator pedal concerns do not "present an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety," the company said in its letter.

The pedal assemblies on the recalled models were made by CTS Corp. of Elkhart, Ind., the same company that built pedals involved in the Toyota recall.

Car owners of the recalled vehicles will be contacted and cars will be inspected by a dealer. All faulty accelerator pedal assemblies will be replaced free of charge.The recall is expected to begin this month.

For more information, car owners can call the NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at (888) 327-4236 or visit its vehicle safety website.