Documents say Continental will notify automakers, who will recall cars dating to 2006. Already Honda, Fiat Chrysler and Mercedes have issued recalls.
Automakers will replace the computers at no cost to owners.
“When you talk about somebody’s safety, there’s no number on that,” said Roger Arnold, of Dayton, who worked for General Motors 30 years. “If it comes out about 300 miles per hour, and what’s in these vehicles right now may be potentially dangerous, then yeah, there needs to be a major recall.”
The announcement comes in the middle of a recall crisis involving Takata Corp. air bag inflators. About 24 million U.S. vehicles are being recalled for that problem. It’s the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.
Gordon Trowbridge, spokesman for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said this is a “massive safety crisis.”