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.
