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June 16, 2006
CHEROKEE RUNAWAY PROBE SOUGHT, FAN DEFECT RECALLED
The Jeep Cherokee has been recent target of defect-related actions by a state and the federal government.
Connecticut has asked federal regulators to probe possible acceleration flaws in late-model Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokees after a 52-year-old man was run over and killed by one in a car wash. According to a Reuters report, Connecticut authorities said they had received several reports of Jeep Grand Cherokees suddenly accelerating out of car washes while changing gears to drive from neutral. Chrysler should release information on any history of Grand Cherokees suddenly or unexpectedly accelerating, said state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and state Democratic Rep. Patricia Widlitz.
"The rate and severity of these sudden acceleration incidents suggest a severe structural flaw -- certainly more than simple coincidence," Blumenthal said in a statement quoted by Reuters. In a separate report, a Chrysler spokesman was quoted as saying that such incidents are usually caused by driver error, specifically drivers who believe they are applying the brakes when they are actually pressing the accelerator. "Claims of sudden unintended acceleration have been made on every make of automobile and are not limited to Jeep Grand Cherokees," the automaker said in a statement.
Meanwhile, according to ConsumerAffairs.com, NHTSA reports that 131,441 of the SUVs from the 2000 to 2002 model years will be returned to dealers to repair the electric cooling fan because the plastic blades on the fan may separate and penetrate the fan shroud.
NHTSA warns that if the Grand Cherokee hood is open when the fan blades come apart, anyone standing near the engine compartment could be struck by a flying blade, possibly suffering serious injury.
Posted by MVHAP at June 16, 2006 11:40 AM