Washington, Jul 24 (EFE).– Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Friday it is conducting a voluntary safety recall affecting 1.4 million vehicles in the United States after two hackers remotely controlled some functions of a 2014 Jeep Cherokee.

The automaker said in a statement that “the recall aligns with an ongoing software distribution that insulates connected vehicles from remote manipulation, which, if unauthorized, constitutes criminal action.”

It added that it has also taken “network-level” security steps that will prevent the type of remote manipulation the hackers were able to pull off.

“Customers affected by the recall will receive a USB device that they may use to upgrade vehicle software, which provides additional security features independent of the network-level measures,” Friday’s statement read.

FCA acknowledged earlier this week in a blog post that well-known hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek were able to exploit a vulnerability in some 2013 and 2014 vehicles equipped with an 8.4-inch touchscreen radio system but said it had developed a software patch that motorists could download and install in their vehicles to correct the problem.

The hackers teamed up with a WIRED reporter on a story – published Tuesday – that reveals how they were able to hack into Miller’s Cherokee and remotely control its air conditioning, radio and windshield wipers and even shut off its transmission by sending commands through the Jeep’s online-connected entertainment system.

The article, in which the reporter, Andy Greenberg, describes the harrowing experience of being behind the wheel of a compromised car on a highway near downtown St. Louis, sparked concern about the safety of Fiat Chrysler’s vehicles.

FCA, however, said in Wednesday’s blog entry that Miller and Valasek have been had been working on hacking into the Cherokee for the past year and shared “some aspects of their work” with the Italian-American automaker.

“To FCA’s knowledge, there has not been a single real world incident of an unlawful or unauthorized remote hack into any FCA vehicle,” the company said in the blog post signed by Gualberto Ranieri, the automaker’s senior vice president of communications.

The vehicles affected by the recall include 2013-2015 MY Dodge Viper specialty vehicles, 2013-2015 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups, 2013-2015 Ram 3500, 4500, 5500 Chassis Cabs, 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs, 2014-2015 Dodge Durango SUVs, 2015 MY Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans, and 2015 Dodge Challenger sports coupes. EFE