1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fires, deaths continue after Jeep fuel tank recall

As Kayla White slowed her SUV behind two other cars to exit a suburban Detroit freeway on Veterans Day, it was rammed from behind by a Cadillac STS. Her red 2003 Jeep Liberty bounced off a Nissan in front of it, rolled onto its side and exploded in flames. Other drivers ran to help but were forced back by the heat. Firefighters arrived in just three minutes but were too late. White, a 23-year-old restaurant hostess who was eight months pregnant, died of burns and smoke inhalation. White is one of more than 70 people killed in fires involving older Jeeps with plastic fuel tanks mounted behind the rear axle. Fiat Chrysler, which makes Jeeps, recalled 1.56 million of them in June 2013 under pressure from US safety regulators. But only 12 percent of the SUVs have been repaired in the 18 months since the recall, a much slower pace than usual. And White's Jeep was not among those fixed. Last week, prosecutors charged the Cadillac driver with committing a moving violation that caused a death. But safety advocates and the lawyer for White's family say the blame belongs as much, if not more, on Chrysler and an auto-industry safety system that moves too slowly to prevent tragedy. The rear-mounted tanks have little structure to protect them if struck from behind, making them susceptible to punctures and fires. Moving the gas tank in front of the axle would be expensive and difficult. So Chrysler's remedy involved installing trailer hitches on the rear of the Jeeps as an extra layer of protection. Government testing showed the hitches protected the tanks in crashes up to 40 mph when stationary Jeeps were hit from behind. But at higher speeds, they wouldn't help. White tried to get the repair done a few weeks before her death but was told by a Jeep dealer that parts weren't available, according to Gerald Thurswell, her family's lawyer. He wouldn't identify the dealership, and his contention could not be independently verified by The Associated Press. Thurswell contends the gas tank ruptured, spilling fuel that touched off the fire. A Chrysler spokesman expressed sympathy to White's family but said the company had no written proof that she asked a dealer about the recall. Two crash reconstruction experts interviewed by the AP say gas wouldn't have spilled from White's Jeep if the tank had been mounted in front of the rear axle. Both say a hitch might have prevented the tank from being damaged, but because both vehicles were in motion, neither expert could say for sure.

Autoblog Minute: FCA hit with record fine, issues recall and buyback

FCA, found in violation of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, agrees to buyback recalled models as part of record penalties issued by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The cars in question are more than half a million Chrysler vehicles with defective suspension parts that could cause cars to lose control, and more than a million Jeeps that are prone to deadly fires. Autoblog's Eddie Sabatini reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute, with expert commentary from Pete Bigelow. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] FCA faces record penalties as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds the automaker in violation of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. I'm Eddie Sabatini and this is your Autoblog Minute. Penalties for the automaker include submitting to increased government oversight, a hundred and five million dollar civil penalty, as well as, mandates to buy back defective vehicles from owners and payment for repairs. The cars in question are [00:00:30] more than half a million Chrysler vehicles with defective suspension parts that could cause cars to lose control, and more than a million Jeeps that are prone to deadly fires. Autoblog's Pete Bigelow discussed the NHTSA findings with us. [00:01:00] [PETE BIGELOW INTERVIEW] This fine and buyback recall, combined with the 1.4 million vehicles recalled over remote hacking concerns makes for a rough couple of weeks for FCA. For Autoblog, I'm Eddie Sabatini. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals.

Jeep spied testing Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is coming. We know this, because Mike Manley, the head of Jeep, said so. We showed you this brief spy video a while back, but now we have our clearer images of the Trackhawk undergoing testing. And it looks just like a normal Grand Cherokee SRT. Yeah, anti-climactic, we know. The four shots we have show a bit of camo over the front bumper and grille, likely concealing a tweaked design or visible bits of the 6.2-liter, supercharged V8. It looks like there's a rather substantial opening below the upper grille, almost like a ram-air system. There's also a smidge of what looks like tape on the front wheel arches, although this might not mean much of anything. What's interesting is what isn't here. There's no perceivable change to the back of the car. The exhaust pipes look like they're about the same size, there's no noticeable changes to the aerodynamics, and in fact, there's not even any camouflage. Jeep also hasn't updated the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk's hood, which is somewhat surprising considering the changes for every other Hellcat-equipped vehicle (concepts included). You can check out our earliest look at the Trackhawk up top. As for when this monstrous Grand Cherokee will debut, we're expecting it to arrive sometime in 2017, perhaps on FCA's home turf at the Detroit Auto Show. Related Video: