WASHINGTON, D.C. -

The two newest recalls revealed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration include vehicles from the current model year, one by Nissan and the other by Dodge.

The larger of the two recalls is for the 2012 Nissan Versa. Officials explained the 36,608 effected units failed to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 114 titled, “Theft Protection.”
 
NHTSA discovered that due to interference between the shifter rod and the shift knob, the vehicles may be shifted out of the park position without depressing the brake pedal.

The agency fears the operator can inadvertently shift the vehicle into gear without the brake pedal being depressed, increasing the risk of a crash or injury to a nearby pedestrian.

Nissan told NHTSA it plans to begin notifying owners of these vehicles next week, instructing them to take the unit to a franchised dealer who will inspect and replace the shifter knob or the shifter assembly as needed free of charge.

Meanwhile, owners of these models manufactured between June 19, 2011 and Jan. 13 also can call Nissan at (800) 647-7261.

Dodge Charger Recall

NHTSA also announced Dodge has recalled a total of 9,688 Chargers from the 2011 and 2012 model years that were built to be police units.

Officials discovered the low beam headlamps of some of the vehicles could fail due to an overheated bulb harness connector. They added other units included in this recall may lose ABS/ESC system function due to an overheated power distribution center, potentially losing the ability to apply the brakes.

The OEM said it will begin notifying owners next month, directing them to franchised dealers who will replace the headlamp jumper harness, as well as relocate the ABS/ESC system fuse within the power distribution center for free.

Owners still can contact Chrysler at (800) 853-1403.

The automaker stressed it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to these conditions in the vehicles produced between July 5, 2010 and Dec. 20, 2011.

“The conditions tend to occur when police vehicles are exposed to severe police duty vehicle cycles for an extended period of time including, long durations of high speed, evasive driving when used as training vehicles for police forces and extended idling,” explained David Dillon, Chrysler’s head of product investigation and campaigns. “We will continue to monitor the retail fleet for any occurrence of this condition beyond police vehicles.”