Increased Fire Risk Causes Safety Group to Urge Recall of Jeep Grand Cherokees

This move is being asked by the Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety, who has discovered that 1993 to 2004 models of Grand Cherokees have a post crash fire risk that is substantially higher than normal, in fact 4 times greater than SUV's made by other manufacturers.

Clarence Ditlow, director of the agency, has written the NHTSA concerning research that indicates a high percentage of fatal accidents resulting in fires during the years since Grand Cherokee was first introduced in 1992. In the past 16 years, 172 accidents have resulted in fire which has taken the lives of 254 people. Of these fatalities, investigators believe that 64 of the deaths were caused directly by these fires. Ditlow states that the agency investigated Ford Pinto models from 1971 to 1976 based on far fewer accidents than have occurred with the Grand Cherokee, because of similar fire hazards believed to be caused by the gas tank.

It is believed that the fuel system in the Grand Cherokee is designed defectively, and contains a plastic fuel tank that is highly susceptible to rupture. According to the petition, this tank's performance declines over time, and is made with a fuel filler neck that in certain types of accidents can easily be damaged. If an impact occurs, there are many sharp objects located around the fuel tank that could easily cause rupture. On top of all this, the tank is located in a potentially unsafe location below the bumper.

2.3 million of these Cherokees remain on the road, and a petition filed by the Center for Auto Safety is asking the NHTSA to pull these off the road. Jeep Grand Cherokee has been defended by Chrysler, but the pain inflicted upon one family has been devastating. In an accident that occurred in 2007, Susan Kline died when her Cherokee was rear ended by another car, causing the fuel tank to rupture. The SUV exploded into flames, and dental records were the only way her body could be identified. She left behind two children who were ages 13 and 16 at the time. The fire caused her death, and evidence did show she tried to escape but the passenger side door was jammed.

Paul Sheridan, a former product manager at Chrysler, stated that there was knowledge at the time of the defective fuel tanks on the Cherokees. The company failed to act on this knowledge. California personal injury lawyers are hopeful that the NHTSA will at the very minimum conduct a thorough investigation of the Cherokee, and perform a recall if it is found necessary.