1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Safety group calls for recall due to potential fire hazard

Jeep Grand Cherokees built between 1993 and 2004 are three to four times as likely to catch fire in a rear-impact collision than other midsized SUVs, according to a petition (download pdf) filed by the Center for Auto Safety. The document asks the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall the as many as 2.3 million of these Grand Cherokees still on the road.
 
“The fuel system in the 1993-04 Grand Cherokee is defectively designed in that it contains a plastic fuel tank subject to rupture, degrades in performance over time, a fuel filler neck that tears off in a range of crashes, a hostile environment with sharp objects such as suspension bolts that can puncture the tank, extends below the bumper and is unshielded,” writes CAS Executive Director Clarence Ditlow in the petition. (Ditlow also serves on the board for Consumers Union.)
 
Examining NHTSA data, the Center determined that the named Grand Cherokees were involved in 172 fatal fires, resulting in 254 deaths between 1992 and 2004. According to the petition, that is a higher fatality rate than for the Ford Pinto, which was subject to a similar recall in 1978.
 
An optional steel skid-plate, available for off-road applications, would protect the fuel tank, Ditlow says in the petition.
 
In 2005, Jeep redesigned the Grand Cherokee, and moved the gas tank in front of the rear axle. Only one of these later Grand Cherokees has been involved in a fatal crash involving a fire. In that case, the vehicle rolled over, and the occupants were thrown from the car, so the fire was not a factor in their deaths.
 
The petition filing indirectly raises an interesting question of whether the U.S. government now faces a conflict of interest as a vehicle regulator and an owner with a 10 percent stake in Chrysler, plus the majority stakeholder in General Motors. (Read: "Buzzword: Government Motors.")

So far NHTSA has not responded to the petition.

Update: Chrysler has posted a response on its corporate blog, excerpt below:

Statistically, rear impacts that result in serious injury are rare occurrences. Chrysler Group is confident that a proper study which considered all factors in all collisions including rear collisions with fire would show that the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees perform as well as or better than other vehicles in their class.

The 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee meets or exceeds all applicable federal safety standards and, as noted, has an excellent safety record. There are many millions of 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees on the road whose owners and families continue to enjoy tens of millions of miles and hours of safe vehicle operation each year.

Also read the New York Times report "Asserting risk of Jeep fires, safety group urges recall."

—Eric Evarts

Comments

[Michael Palese]

The petition filed with NHTSA by the Center for Automotive Safety presents a simplistic, unsubstantiated review of raw accident data. Indeed, its conclusions are flawed as they are based solely on a database that does not discriminate the cause or origin of a fire. Nor does it contain accurate critical real world accident data that takes into account significant factors that influence crash outcomes, such as the speed of a rear impact and the weight of the vehicles involved. The petition's conclusions and comparisons are, therefore, invalid and their use to draw alarming conclusions about a product with an excellent safety record is misguided and irresponsible.

Statistically, rear impacts that result in serious injury are rare occurrences. Chrysler Group is confident that a proper study which considered all factors in all collisions including rear collisions with fire would show that the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees perform as well as or better than other vehicles in their class.

The 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee meets or exceeds all applicable federal safety standards and, as noted, has an excellent safety record. There are many millions of 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees on the road whose owners and families continue to enjoy tens of millions of miles and hours of safe vehicle operation each year.

While Chrysler Group designs vehicles to protect the greatest number of motorists in the greatest number of accidents, unfortunately accidents do occur, can be dangerous and, sadly, can sometimes cause injuries and even deaths.

Michael Palese
Chrysler Communications

[Paul V. Sheridan]

For those who would like to go-beyond Chrysler public relations rhetoric, and learn the truth about that company's historical thru current approach to safety, I recommend that you download/read the letter I wrote to Attorney General Janet Reno in October 1999:

http://links.veronicachapman.com/Sheridan-to-Reno-1.pdf

You might wish to review the COLORED TAB and TAB 27 as a quick introduction. This readership will introduce you to the stark reality behind the PR machinations about "meets or exceeds all applicable federal safety standards."

I also recommend that you take ~ 8 minutes to listen to the Executive Vice President of Chrysler Engineering, Francois Castaing, as he testifies regarding the issue of (Jeep) crashworthiness. This depositon video provides the general attitude of Chrysler executive and engineering management regarding the issue of safety:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25roI1nhOwI&feature=

The transcript portion of the above video is provided here:

http://links.veronicachapman.com/CastaingTenagliaDep-Jeep-Partial.pdf

The ABC News coverage of this Jeep safety defect, produced/moderated by Silvia Gambardella and Steve Daniels, here:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=7043524

Recent coverage of the lack of adequate real-world protection in 1993 thru 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee against fire death/injury here:

http://www.injuryboard.com:80/national-news/group-urges-jeep-recall-over-fire-danger.aspx?googleid=272150

Review of the TRUE effects and motivations of the so-called Chrysler bankruptcy here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20090607_Two-time_victims_in_Chrysler_s_bankruptcy.html

http://links.veronicachapman.com/Sheridan-MajorFlawDetroitBankruptcies-IJ.pdf

Finally (for now), the Chrysler PR post above states:

"Statistically, rear impacts that result in serious injury are rare occurrences."

We should emphasize that the Jeep Grand Cherokee of Mrs. Susan Kline was very rarely struck in the rear. Indeed, it was involved in a foreseeable rear-end collision only once.

However, unlike EVERY other 1993 thru 2004 model-year SUV on the world's highways, only the vehicle-type driven by Mrs. Kline in February 2007 used a throw-back to the Ford Pinto design where an exposed fuel tank was located behind the rear axle, in the crush zone, just in front of a flimsy bumper.

Paul V. Sheridan
Former Chairman: Chrysler Safety Leadership Team
National Champion: Civil Justice Foundation