Chrysler to Recall More Than 211,000 Vehicles Due to Software Malfunction, NHTSA Says

Dealers will update the control module software free of charge, NHTSA said. (Reuters)
Dealers will update the control module software free of charge, NHTSA said. (Reuters)
TT

Chrysler to Recall More Than 211,000 Vehicles Due to Software Malfunction, NHTSA Says

Dealers will update the control module software free of charge, NHTSA said. (Reuters)
Dealers will update the control module software free of charge, NHTSA said. (Reuters)

Chrysler is recalling more than 211,000 vehicles in the United States due to a software malfunction that could disable the electronic stability control system, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Saturday.

Due to the malfunction, the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) control module may disable the electronic stability control system, the regulator said.

"Driving with a disabled electronic stability control system can increase the risk of a crash," it said, Reuters reported.

The recall would affect certain 2022 Dodge Durango and Ram 2500 and 3500 vehicles made by Stellantis-owned (STLAM.MI), opens new tab Chrysler, NHTSA said.

Dealers will update the control module software free of charge, NHTSA said.



Google, Volkswagen Partner on Smartphone AI Assistant

People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Google, Volkswagen Partner on Smartphone AI Assistant

People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)

Alphabet’s Google is providing key capabilities for an artificial intelligence assistant for Volkswagen drivers in a smartphone app, part of Google's strategy to win business by offering tools to build enterprise AI applications.

Consumers can ask Volkswagen's in-app assistant questions like "How do I change a flat tire?" or point their phone cameras at vehicle dashboards to receive relevant information.

The AI assistant draws on Google's Gemini large language models, programs that can understand and generate predictive responses to human language, and cloud computing capacity. The VW tool was designed by adding data such as Volkswagen owner’s manuals and YouTube videos on vehicle maintenance to Gemini.

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian told Reuters that the product required overcoming technical hurdles to multimodality, the ability to process different data types such as text, images and videos.

"The problem looks superficially simple, but it’s technically very complex," Kurian said. "Most people think what we built is a speech-to-text translation system that then looks up a manual. Absolutely not."

The AI assistant is free and available to about 120,000 owners of Volkswagen’s Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport models. It will roll out by early next year to other cars from model year 2020 and later.

Corporate adoption of generative AI could alter the lucrative cloud computing market, where Google places third in terms of market share behind Amazon and Microsoft . Most companies are still searching for applications that users will find practical.

Cloud computing is a growing business segment for Google, accounting for $33 billion of the firm's $307 billion in overall revenue in 2023.

AI solutions have driven billions in revenue this year, the company has said, though it declined to disclose more precise figures.

Volkswagen declined to give details about usage for its AI assistant so far.