Auto advocacy group calls for expanded probe into Jeep fuel tank safety
Jeep Cherokees on car lot.
The Center for Auto Safety, has asked the NHTSA to reopen their investigation of fuel tank ruptures and fires in some older models of Jeeps after contending that more modifications are needed. The group, founded in 1970 by consumer activist Ralph Nader cited several accidents, including one last April in which Fiat Chrysler was ordered to pay $150 million to the family of a 4-year-old boy who burned to death in a crash after a jury found the automaker was “reckless in its design” of the gas tank for the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the Jeep models as far back as 2010, when it found that the location of the plastic fuel tanks behind the rear axle made them more vulnerable to breaking in crashes, leading to fires. Although Fiat Chrysler insisted that the vehicles were comparable to other vehicles, they began recalling some 1.56 million 1993-2004 Grand Cherokees and 2002-2007 Libertys in 2013 to add trailer hitches to the rear of the vehicles to further protect the gas tanks. The recall is still ongoing. In fact, a letter sent to the federal regulators, dated February 2016, by the Center for Auto Safety noted that 14 more people were killed in crashes in “which fire was the most harmful event.”
The NHTSA has begun putting more pressure on automakers to more quickly disclose defects and finish recalls. In the meantime, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. announced yesterday that it was adding approximately 198,000 Model Year 2008 Corolla and Corolla Matrix and Model Year 2008-2010 Lexus SC430 vehicles to its recall list. As a precautionary measure to cover dual-stage front passenger airbags found to be susceptible to rupture during collisions. For more information, consumers can call Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987, as well as visit the NHTSA online at nhtsa.gov.
