Detroit, MI — May 6, 2015 — According to Reuters, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recalled 900,000 SUVs due to a possible risk of fire last year. Faulty wiring inside the vehicles’ sun visor vanity mirror lights were found to cause fire via an electrical short in Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Durangos.
To fix this, the company ordered plastic guides be installed on the visor to direct the wiring away from problem points on the visor. Despite this action, the problem seems to persist, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the aftereffects of the recall.
An Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) Resume released this month noted that eight complaints have been filed related to fires in affected vehicles since the original remedy was put into place, prompting a recall query from the NHTSA. Some of these reports described “smoke sometimes followed by flames” inside.
A New York Times Article on this recall quotes an owner of one of the faulty Jeep Grand Cherokees, who contributed a complaint last month.
“My car filled with smoke and I could not breathe in the car,” this unnamed person said. “The fire could have burned me had I been on a highway and unable to stop. I think it is incredible that I did my part, took the car to get the recall fixed and was returned a car that was clearly not fixed.” The source adds that there have been no official reports of injury, and that Fiat Chrysler is working with the NHTSA in response to the query.
In addition to the original recalls, recall queries and other follow-up actions also have to be communicated to the right dealerships and owners, to ensure that the latest, most relevant actions are taken to fix a possible risk.
