Auburn Hills, MI — January 20, 2016 — On December 23, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received report of a recall from Chrysler concerning 60,107 Jeeps from 2015. According to this statement, both Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass vehicles may contain improperly placed power steering hose retention clamps, which could trigger a fluid leak and fire risk if not corrected.

Although the risk of fire was noted as being “rare,” it nevertheless makes this a crucial act for the manufacturer to prevent possible injuries. Only one percent of the recalled vehicles are believed to suffer the defect.

The investigations into this issue began this past October, when the manufacturer decided to look closer at Compass and Patriot vehicles that had suffered fires. The fault was traced back to the hose clamp on October 21.

In the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, the NHTSA notes the purpose of the remedy program. This reflects the manufacturer’s need to “conduct a voluntary safety recall, on all affected vehicles to inspect the return power steering hose for proper placement of the hose clamp, and reposition the hose clamp as needed.”

A chronology document from the same source notes that the failures all took place when the vehicles were operating at slow speeds, 50 miles or lower. This led to the discovery that the power steering hose was the cause of the problem, confirmed by later testing.

Another series of Chrysler recalls recently affected thousands of Jeep Cherokee vehicles last month for a water leak problem that could have led to a fire risk due to electrical damage.

Auburn Hills, MI — January 07, 2016—According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 32,784 Jeep Cherokees with 2015 and 2016 model years are part of a new recall. Although the start date is currently unknown, a good amount of information has been revealed, including the recall number (R67) and the possible threat from water gathering on the vehicle’s control module.

If a leak were to cause this module to short circuit, the affected vehicles could potentially catch fire. To keep the module safe and reduce the chance of corrosion, the manufacturer calls for the mastic shield to be replaced with a specialized water shield. Despite this, no injuries have been reported in connection to this problem.

This remedy is meant to improve upon a previous water shield that didn’t provide enough coverage. The NHTSA features a Part 573 Recall Report that explains the way the new shield has been a response to the old one.

“The mastic water shield was designed to protect the Module from pooling water in the spare tire tub as the original investigation showed this condition as the primary source,” the document states. “As the corrective action identified in the original investigation, a water shield that fully encapsulates the Module was introduced into production on September 10, 2015.”

The recall was announced on December 9 after the manufacturer determined that a recall was the best course of action on December 1. The “fully encapsulating” water shield first began production in September and will be installed free of charge. If necessary, corroded modules and connectors will be fully replaced.

Washington, DC — December 11, 2015 — In May, 2013, Chrysler Group LLC announced that it would recall 5,440 vehicles for a concern over airbag clockspring assemblies in Jeep Wranglers for model years between 2008 and 2012. To address this issue, it stated dealers would replace the spring and steering wheel dust shield for free: failing to do so could have left the airbag disabled and prevented it from deploying during an accident.

The Detroit News recently reported that this issue has not quite resolved. According to the source, the manufacturer is aware of hundreds of complaints related to this action. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now looking into more than 628,00 vehicles, despite the previous remedies.

A memo from May of that year lists some of the factors observed in the assemblies, leading to the eventual recall.

“Some vehicles may be equipped with driver’s airbag clockspring assemblies that could experience a compromised airbag circuit resulting in an airbag lamp illumination, which indicates that the airbag may not deploy in the event of a frontal crash,” the statement said. This document went on to connect the condition to “circuit fatigue,” which stemmed from “dust contamination of the grease applied to the flexible conductor, resulting in the conductor bending unnaturally during cycling.”

The NHTSA has not officially called for more Chrysler recalls in this case, but has begun the process that could lead to it. The Detroit News states that this is instead an “engineering analysis,” and follows the preliminary investigation the agency had begun earlier this year.

Detroit, MI — September 1, 2015 — Although it was technically noticed on August 31, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is beginning the month of September with a new recall action concerning windshield wipers in some of its units. While this issue seems to be more of a concern for certain climates, the vehicles are being recalled from all over North America, including the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the majority of the recalls occurring within the U.S.

An Autoblog article on this case, which quotes a press release from the manufacturers in full, describes the scope of the recall, which includes a total of 158,671 vehicles in the United States alone. Altogether, the total includes more than 206,000 2014 Jeep Cherokees in all regions. More than 26,000 are located outside of the NAFTA regions in this continents, the source adds.

If drivers in these vehicles attempt to use the wipers “during dry conditions,” the wiper control module could accumulate a terminal amount of static buildup, rendering them inoperable. This poses a special risk because the loss of function could happen suddenly, surprising the driver. The release also details the steps they can take to fix the issue.

“Dealers will install a ground strap to the control module to eliminate the potential for static buildup,” it reads. “Customers will be advised when they may schedule service, which will be performed at no cost.” There have yet to be any incidents traced back to this recall.

Last month, the same manufacturer also recalled thousands of Jeep Grand Cherokees as part of a different concern over lower control arms susceptible to fractures.

Detroit, MI — April 15, 2015 — According to the Associated Press, the aftermath of a recall from 2013 still leaves room for further improvement and perhaps further awareness from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator. Just over 30 percent of the Jeep Liberty and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles found to be at risk of combustion have been repaired since the initial recall notice was issued.

The original concern centered around the way gas tanks were placed on affected Chrysler vehicles: because they were located behind the rear example, a collision with the bumper could result in fire spreading.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has seen multiple cases where Jeep fires led to deaths, and the NHTSA is reportedly considering taking action to prompt further response. The near 1.56 million suspected SUV’s recalled were produced in different ranges of years, from 1993 to 2007. The roots of the recall go as far back as 2010, when regulators first started investigating Jeep susceptibility to fire.

The source quotes from a letter from the manufacturer which addresses the flaws and directs dealers to take action to avoid further incidents. To fix the fault, the company is installing protective trailer hitches on the back of the vehicles.

“If there are barriers that are preventing your dealership from completing these important repairs, please contact your factory representative for assistance,” the manufacturer said. “FCA wants to know and will make every effort to eliminate any barriers.”

The dealership and the vehicle owner will have needs in the wake of a recall that both need to be addressed, even if that recall began years in the past. Outstanding recalls have to be responded to in a professional manner, not to mention fast and accurate.