The Car That Killed Anton Yelchin May Have Been Part of a Recall

Actor Anton Yelchin died on Sunday as a result of his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolling backwards down his driveway and pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence.

In the report about his death, Lt. Larry Deitz of the Los Angeles Police Department told CBS News no foul play was suspected, and it appeared as though he hadn’t shifted his car properly into park.

LAPD said the vehicle involved was a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Last month, it was reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was investigating 850,000 vehicles equipped with “e-shift” transmissions. The e-shift lacks the typical clicks and groove sensations of shifting a car into park, reverse, and drive. Most of the vehicles under investigation were 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees.

The e-shift transmissions were concluded to provide “poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection.”

Investigators have not yet established a connection between the recall, the transmission in Yelchin’s vehicle and Yelchin’s death, though the investigation is still ongoing.

Yelchin was headed to a rehearsal with friends when the accident occurred. After not showing up for several hours, his friends went to check on him and found his body.

Article compiled by Torie Jochims from our sister company Womanista.