Group Demands Jeep Grand Cherokee Recall over Jeep Fuel Fed Fires
A nonprofit group that advocates for consumer safety, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS), has repeated its demand that the Chrysler Group and Fiat, its parent company, issue a massive recall for millions of Jeep Grand Cherokees from model years 1993-2004, because they claim too many have caught fire in rear-impact collisions. They have been making this demand since 2009, based on two major problems which all boil down to Jeep fuel fed fires following rear end collisions.
One problem is the location of the gas tank in what many safety engineers have described as the “crush zone,” which is slightly below the bumper and behind the rear axle. Beginning with model year 2005, the company redesigned the model and placed the gas tank in front of the rear axle, although they deny that the change had anything to do with fire concerns.
The other problem noted by CAS is the location of a fuel filler pipe. According to CAS, the pipe can tear away from the tank during a rear end collision, which can cause gas to escape from the tank, increasing the risk of fire.
Last week, Chrysler repeated its contention that all of its vehicles were compliant with applicable safety standards and reconfirmed that their internal analysis of the same Grand Cherokee models concludes that the vehicles were in no way defective, and that the vehicles fuel tanks are no more dangerous than any other like vehicle on the road in cases of rear-impact collisions.”
Unfortunately for Chrysler, the Center for Auto Safety isn’t entirely alone in its criticism of Grand Cherokees. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) upgraded its investigation into the vehicle’s problems to an engineering analysis, after their study found a disproportionate number of Grand Cherokees with problems. Crash tests they undertook in 2011 also demonstrated that a number of other SUV models fared far better than the Grand Cherokee.
According to the CAS, Grand Cherokee crashes that ended up with the vehicle catching fire have led to 157 deaths to date. That number includes rear impact accidents and rollovers in which the filler hose may have come loose.
If you own one of these vehicles, you should be aware of a possible problem with these models. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to a Grand Cherokee catching fire in an accident, contact the experienced Texas Automotive Defect Attorney at Hill Law Firm as quickly as possible.