Jeep SUVs Cleared After Federal Investigation

After a six month investigation, the 2012 Jeep Cherokee SUV has been cleared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, eliminating the need for a recall. The federal investigation, which began in July, looked into potential fire risks on more than 100,000 SUVs stemming from complaints received about power steering hoses which had the potential to come loose and leak fluid out into the engine bay.

In examining each of the 24 complaints, it was determined that the problem originated from a manufacturing error that was fixed shortly after the SUVs when into production. It was also concluded that none of the leaks directly led to any accidents or fires, and that it was highly unlikely that such a leakage would reach any ignition sources. Each instance of a fire, of which there were five, was a result of another set of circumstances. As a result, the NHTSA has declared that the problem has not caused an unreasonable safety risk, and that a mass recall fixing the issue will not be necessary. “There is no indication of loss of motive power or unreasonable safety risk associated with the alleged defect,” said the NHTSA in a statement.

Each of the reported problems came from a Grand Cherokee SUV built between November 22 and December 23 of 2011. Owners of vehicles which experienced the problem were offered a fix of the issue under the warranty provided by Chrysler Group, which owns Jeep. Because the company which supplies the hoses has long since corrected their manufacturing error, the NHTSA believes that the threat has been eliminated, and that no additional problems should appear. They will still monitor the issue into the future and reopen the investigation if fire issues persist, though there cause would likely come from another source, unrelated to power steering hoses.

An avoided recall is welcome news for Chrysler, who saw their number of vehicles recalled nearly double over the last year. Just three months prior, almost 750,000 Jeep SUVs were recalled over issues with unintended air bag deployment. According to Chrysler, the problem generated more than 215 incidences, inflicting 81 minor injuries. Recalls across the industry were up more than 4.5% in 2012, as most every major brand suffered setbacks from faulty equipment and erroneous manufacturing processes. Having passed through their federal investigation, Chrysler has started off the New Year with a victory, dodging concerns over reliability and reaffirming their commitment to quality and safety.