Ride Me

A crucial repair to Anton Yelchin's Jeep -- that ultimately might have saved his life -- was made available to the public just days before his death ... TMZ has learned.

As we've told you ... Anton's Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo was tagged for a recall in May. But we're told the manufacturer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, did not have an actual repair for the e-shifter problem at that point.

Sources with direct knowledge of the recall process tell us some Jeep dealerships just got the "fix" last week -- and according to documents, ALL dealerships should have it by August.

We're told the fix is a software download to install an "auto park" feature -- which will automatically shift the vehicle into PARK as soon as the driver's door opens.

Anton Yelchin's Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo never got the fix that very likely could have saved his life ... TMZ has learned.

According to NHTSA docs, obtained by TMZ, the recall on Yelchin's SUV had not been addressed -- meaning he was susceptible to the PARK problem with the shifter.

The recall notice went out on May 14, 2016 ... and says, "Drivers may inadvertently fail to achieve the PARK position before exiting."

As we've reported, the problem is a driver might think the car is safely parked, when it's actually in neutral.

The Jeep that rolled backwards and killed 27-year-old actor Anton Yelchin was recalled because the shifting mechanism caused drivers to unintentionally leave it in the wrong gear.

TMZ broke the story ... the 'Star Trek' star was leaving his home sometime before 11 PM Saturday when he got out after clearing his security gate. The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee -- which was on a steep incline -- rolled backwards, pinning him against the gate. His friends found him dead at 1 AM.

The 2015 Cherokee models were recalled because of the e-shift transmission. It lacks the grooves found in old school transmissions that allow drivers to feel the various gears. According to the recall notice, the e-shift provides "poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver," which makes unintended gear selection more likely. Translation: A driver could put a car in neutral thinking it was in park.

The 2016 models reverted to an old school shifter.

So far no word on whether the shifting device contributed to the accident.

Meek Mill had a front row seat for the ultimate joyride -- a smoking hot chick in lingerie strapped to a rapper's back on the Sunset Strip.

Fresh off house arrest ... Meek helped pull off the shoot to promote Ethika Life. Check out the vid ... Meek was in a Bentley -- trailing and blocking traffic -- as the model jumped off the bike, stripped and hopped back on for a wild ride.

He was even nice enough to let his labelmate, Chino MMG, get the spotlight -- riding the model around town, while Meek settled for views like this.

We're told Meek, a brand ambassador for Ethika, pulled off the whole shoot without filing a single permit.

#GoodWorkIfYouCanGetIt

Ever try hitting a 3-point shot from inside a Ferrari ... while it's going 140 MILES PER HOUR?!

Ya gotta check out this clip ... the guys from "How Ridiculous" took a Ferrari out to the Barbagallo Raceway in Australia and got their Steph Curry on.

Chris Brown was high as a kite when he was stopped by cops in Amsterdam for riding a dirt bike without plates, and somehow he was able to charm his way out of some super serious charges.

The police pulled Chris and his crew over, clearly not knowing he was famous. When Brown's posse dropped the "do-you-know-who-he-is" card, the main cop's knowledge was only as deep as Elvis.

Chris was ticketed and then taken to the station to pay the fine.

As for the super serious charge, Chris clearly could have been busted for DUI, because just minutes before hopping on the bike he and his buddies smoked out a coffee shop.

Chris Brown was hauled into a police station in Amsterdam for riding a dirt bike without a helmet and tags.

Amsterdam police tell TMZ the singer was pulled over Friday in the Red Light District after cops say they noticed he didn't have a license plate for the bike. That's a big no-no. We're told cops had Chris follow behind them to a station where he paid his fine.

Chris posted a vid while he was inside the station -- 'fessing up, but explaining it wasn't all bad. Actually, compared to his most recent run-in with cops ... he seems downright mellow.

Hmm ...

We got NFL star Antonio Gates out in Los Angeles and asked him two of the most relevant sports questions of the day and he answered ... with a quarter million dollars worth of car.

Antonio was sitting in what looks to be a Ferrari 458 Italia ... and was revving the engine the whole time we were talking ... so we can't be exactly sure what he said.

Here's what we do know ... that particular car retails for around $300k new ... so you might have just witnessed the most expensive distraction in TMZ Sports history.

We ain't mad at you, Antonio.

Usher's no window shopper, he's more of a hands-on guy when it comes to luxury motorbikes -- which explains why he got a SoHo dealership to open just for him.

Our sources at Ducati Triumph New York tell us ... the singer was there Monday to scope out Ducati's XDiavel model. The store's normally closed Mondays, but when a loyal superstar customer calls, doors open.

Ush took the gorgeous all-black 156-horsepower bike out for a spin, but we're told he's still not convinced he wants to drop $25k for it.

Fetty Wap's got so much horsepower in his new whip, buying a parachute to slow it down might not be a bad idea.

The rapper got the hookup Friday with an 800 horsepower 2016 BMW M6. We're told he forked over $160k to Flawless Auto Leasing to have them trick out the ride BIG time. Factory M6s have a piddly 560 horsepower.

The black-on-black, twin-turbo ride features carbon fiber interior and slick tires to prevent annoying spinouts. If he's not careful, Fetty might take off -- we're told this is the lightest M6 on the market.

Radar detector not included.

Johnny Manziel says he's "hashing it out" with the owner of a NY luxury car rental company who ambushed him in the street Friday night ... but says the guy "shouldn't have come at me like that."

The ambush went down on Friday -- when Wayne (the owner of Precision Concierge) tracked down the QB and confronted him over an expensive Mercedes he allegedly rented and then wrecked in L.A.

Wayne told TMZ Sports ... Manziel had promised to pay for the wrecked ride -- but never did. So, Wayne found him in Manhattan on Friday and tried to get answers right from Johnny himself.

Fast forward to Monday night ... Johnny says the two sides are talking, but he's clearly not happy with the way things went down.

It's time for a lesson in Jurassic swag, courtesy of UFC fighter Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis ... who dropped $125k on the a golden T-Rex motor thingy ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

Lewis hit up Joseph McCamish of Etune Autosports in Houston and told the man he wanted "the baddest T-Rex he could build" ... and was willing to pay big bucks for it.

We talked to McCamish who tells us his guys were up to the task and created a one-of-a-kind ride for the Octagon god.

What'd they do? A full air ride system, custom-made leather seats, a black suede steering wheel, JBL audio system, a custom fabricated body kit and the piece de resistance ... a custom gold body wrap.

Final price for the whole thing ... $125k!!

Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah might be the best lil bro ever -- 'cause he just surprised his older sibling with one helluva birthday present ... A NEW CAR!

The 22-year-old -- who's still in his rookie contract (4 years, $4 mil) -- hooked up his brother, Kareem, with a black Chevy Camaro ... and recorded the gift-giving moment for all to see!

"I use to dream of times when I could do things like this for the family and there's no one more deserving than this guy right here," Abdullah said.

"This for all the times you believed in me when I wanted to quit on myself! We on now! Happy early birthday bro you deserve it!"

It's an awesome gesture, just one potential problem ... Ameer has 7 OTHER SIBLINGS!!

Kylie Jenner is blue after her breakup with Tyga ... and the blue looks fabulous on the Ferrari he gave her before she dumped him.

Kylie zipped through L.A. Wednesday in the $260k whip Tyga gifted her on her 18th birthday. It's had a couple of paint jobs ... she got it white, but, ya know.

Later that night, she went bowling with PartyNextDoor.

Bam Margera's wife got busted for DUI after getting into an accident while driving the same Porsche Bam was in a wreck years ago ... TMZ has learned.

According to cops in West Chester, PA ... Nicole Boyd collided with another driver in a Hyundai earlier this month. Nicole said she had the green light, but the other driver insisted she ran a red. Either way, Bam and Nicole's Porsche Panamera got banged up badly.

Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene, and the other driver was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Meanwhile, officers said Nicole smelled of alcohol and bombed field sobriety tests. She was arrested and booked for DUI.

Bam's Panamera might be cursed. As we reported, he got sideswiped in the ride shortly after getting it in 2011.

As for Nicole's DUI -- Bam's had his struggles with the bottle, and his best friend, Ryan Dunn, was wasted when he died in a high speed crash.

Yo Gotti's prized $409k Lamborghini Aventador got wrecked instead of repaired when an employee at the dealership took it out for a joyride ... according to the lawsuit he just filed.

Yo Gotti is suing Motorcars of Georgia, a luxury car dealership, where he took his Lambo last October for maintenance work. It was still there in December when, according to docs ... an MOG employee took it out for an early morning spin and crashed the whip into a tractor-trailer on the interstate.

Gotti says the accident happened 20 miles away from the dealership, and he points out he never gave the dealership permission to drive his car off the lot.

Gotti talks about the car like a loved one, saying it sustained "serious physical injury."

He's suing for $80k in damages -- to the car -- plus his personal pain and mental anguish. Not to mention the money lost from not being able to use the car in music videos.