NHTSA Lambastes Chrysler Over Deadly Jeep Fuel Tank Recall

St. Peters, MO, (Law Firm Newswire) January 21, 2015 – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a letter warning Chrysler that it needs to step up its efforts to recall and repair more than one million Jeep vehicles that may have a fatal fuel tank flaw.

According to the NHTSA, a design flaw in some Jeep vehicles can cause the fuel tank to explode after a low- or medium-impact rear-end collision. The NHTSA confirms that at least 51 people have died as a result of these accidents.

For several years, Chrysler maintained that the fuel tank was not a problem and insisted that any repairs be voluntary. According to Missouri defective products attorney Charlie James of the James Law Group, this is not unusual conduct.

“Car companies like Chrysler will tell consumers with a straight face that it is normal for a car to explode after a fender bender,” said James. “It is nonsense. From a legal perspective, a fender bender is a foreseeable event, and car companies have an obligation to take those into account when designing a car. It is ludicrous to claim that a car that could explode after a low-impact collision is reasonably safe.”

The NHTSA’s letter urging Chrysler to improve its response to the problem came just a week after the death of a 23-year-old pregnant woman from Michigan, who was killed when her 2003 Jeep Liberty was rear-ended and burst into flames.

Chrysler originally refused the NHTSA’s request for a recall in 2013.

So far, according to the NHTSA, only three percent of affected Jeep vehicles have been repaired. The Jeep models in question are the 1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty. Jeep owners can visit the NHTSA’s website to find a free look-up tool that can help determine whether a particular car needs a repair.

“I would encourage anyone who owns a Jeep or who knows someone with a Jeep to proactively look into the issue,” said James. “Unfortunately, it is obvious that this is another situation in which car owners cannot trust the manufacturer to do the right thing in a reasonable amount of time.”

Learn more at http://www.jameslawgroup.net/. James Law Group, LLC 14 Richmond Center Court St. Peters, MO 63376 Phone: 636.397.2411 Toll Free: 800.229.7112