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NHTSA Begins Investigation of Cherokees for Gas Tank Fire

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether the gas tanks on Jeep Grand Cherokees can ignite during an accident, causing a fire.  At this point, this is a preliminary investigation, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that a recall is soon to follow.  The investigation will include approximately 3 million Grand Cherokees of model years between 1993 and 2004.

The recall comes because of pressure from consumer safety advocacy group, Center for Auto Safety.  The agency has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to review whether the position of the gas tank on a Jeep Grand Cherokees places the vehicle at a risk of a gas tank explosion during a rear end collision.  The agency is specifically looking at whether the position of the gas tank below the rear bumper and behind the rear axle, could contribute to a fuel leak in case the Cherokee was involved in a rear end collision.

The Center for Auto Safety has several safety concerns. According to the Center, the gas tank is made of plastic, and has no shielding that can protect it from puncture during a rollover.  The neck of the fuel tank could also be damaged during an accident, contributing to spill.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that initial reviews have not determined that Cherokees are at a higher risk of a gas tank fire or explosion during impact, compared to other sports utility vehicles.  Chrysler is cooperating with the NHTSA investigation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is specifically looking at reports of 44 accidents involving the Jeep Grand Cherokee since 1992, where fire was believed to be the biggest factor in injury.  These actions resulted in 55 deaths.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that 10 out of those accidents and 13 of the deaths involved rear ender collisions.  However, the Center for Auto Safety has used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s own fatality analysis reporting system to show that there were 102 fatal accidents involving Jeep Grand Cherokees which ended in fire, and that these resulted in 254 fatalities.  At this point in time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is noncommittal about any possible link between the fires and the design of the gas tank in the Jeep Grand Cherokees.

Fire and explosions don’t have to be an acceptable part of automobile accidents.  Yet thousands of auto accidents every year end in fires, many of which can be prevented simply by a safer design of the vehicle.  This particular Jeep Grand Cherokee gas tank fire recall is bound to remind California product liability lawyers of the Ford Pinto crisis of the 70s, the benchmark for bad and dangerous auto design.  Hundreds of accidents involving exploding Ford Pintos were traced to defective design, in which the gas tank exploded in a rear impact collision.  The highest risk comes from gas tanks that are located between the rear axle and the bumper of the vehicle.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of gas tank explosions. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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