Jeep Grand Cherokees Under Investigation
Jeep Grand Cherokees built from 1993 to 2004 are currently being investigated by US safety officials to determine whether or not the gas tank position could cause fuel to spill if the vehicle is struck from behind. After 2004 the automaker moved the fuel tank. And the company has recently started selling a redesigned model for 2011 which eliminates the concern that is currently being voiced.
Records show that the vehicle has an excellent safety record. However, there have been 44 Grand Cherokee crashes and 55 deaths since 1992 where fire was listed as the most harmful factor. Of those figures, 10 of the crashes and 13 of the deaths occurred in rear end crashes according to the federal safety agency.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Center for Auto Safety, a safety research group, petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to start an investigation. According to the group, “the vehicle’s plastic fuel tank behind the rear axle and below the rear bumper makes it especially vulnerable to rupturing or leaking and causing fires in rear-impact collisions.” ABC owned station WTVD in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina first brought attention to the alleged problem when they told the story of a 49-year-old mother, Susan Kline, who died in a fiery accident in 2007. Police reports show that the woman was on a New Jersey highway and had slowed down to avoid a car that was backing up after having missed an exit. She was subsequently rear-ended and her 1996 Grand Cherokee burst into flames.
Not that long ago, Toyota was under investigation. So often, the automakers and other big businesses shield their cost cutting practices and less than stellar safety records by creating slick advertisements and marketing programs to tout their products and services. In many cases, once these corporate entities come under scrutiny, evidence surfaces showing monetary reasons that influenced decisions to choose cost cutting over safety. Hopefully, that will not be at the root of this case. But it seems to happen frequently enough to cause the public to question whether or not money was a factor. BP Oil is certainly perpetuating that line of thinking.
A spokesman for Chrysler says that the company is fully cooperating with safety officials and that the Grand Cherokee “meets or exceeds federal safety standards.” Safety officials are still working towards determining whether or not to issue a recall. Some of these recalls help avert potentially dangerous situations that can cause both serious injury and death.
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