1.6 Million Cherokees Are Recalled
Chrysler announced the recall of 1.6 million Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicles Thursday in response to a series of accidents in which the vehicles unexpectedly lurched into reverse, causing at least five deaths and more than 150 injuries.
A federal safety agency investigating the problem had received more than 700 complaints from owners of the popular SUVs, who reported that their Grand Cherokees could slip into reverse when the gearshift appeared to be in the park position. In most cases, the engine was running at the time.
The broad recall covers Grand Cherokees produced from 1993 to 1998. The Chrysler Group, a unit of DaimlerChrysler Corp., said its dealers will install an additional part in the floor shifter mechanism to prevent the problem at no cost to consumers.
“Although there are several ways for Jeep Grand Cherokee owners to assure their vehicle is in park, this improvement will provide one more way to assist customers by making it more difficult for a driver to fail to put the gear shifter fully in park,” said Matt Reynolds, Chrysler’s safety director. The company said it still believes that the vehicles are not defective.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the Grand Cherokee this summer, after The Times contacted the agency about a number of complaints from consumers.
One Jeep Cherokee owner, Jacquee Kahn of Los Angeles, told The Times that her 1997 Grand Cherokee rolled backward while she was refueling at a gas station near one of the city’s busiest intersections--Santa Monica and Westwood boulevards--just before Christmas 1999. The engine was off, and the Jeep--with her sister in it--rolled into a gas pump. Neither woman was injured.
Later, The Times reported on previously undisclosed deaths blamed on the problem and on several lawsuits in which Chrysler entered into confidential settlements with consumers.
NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said the safety agency will continue to investigate 1999-2001 Grand Cherokees. The government has received 174 complaints about these later-model Jeeps, including 61 reported crashes and 32 injuries.
“We are going to keep the investigation open on the newer vehicles just to make sure there isn’t a problem there as well,” Tyson said.
Chrysler spokesman Mike Rosenau contended that the complaint rate for those vehicles is not significantly different than for similar SUVs built by other manufacturers. He said the 1999-2001 models have a safeguard similar to the one that will be installed in the earlier models.
Rosenau said that it will be several months before Chrysler can produce enough of the parts to begin repairs but that the company is sending out an immediate notice to Grand Cherokee owners, with tips on how to make sure their vehicles are securely parked. Turning the engine off, removing the ignition key and setting the parking brake should prevent the problem, according to safety experts.
NHTSA will monitor the recall to make sure the company follows through.
“I sure . . . hope that what they are doing will correct this defect,” said Morton S. Bunis, a New Jersey lawyer whose daughter, Linda Haller, was crushed to death by her Grand Cherokee in 1998. “I don’t want to pick up the newspaper again and read about anyone getting hurt because their car went from park into reverse.” Haller’s family is suing DaimlerChrysler.
Simon Tamny, an Ohio engineer who has testified for several plaintiffs against the company, said the fix announced by Chrysler “is a step in the right direction.”
“It’s certainly an improvement, but it will take some testing to see how good it is,” Tamny said. He gave a rough estimate of $100 to $150 per vehicle to make the repairs.
The company would not release its cost estimates.
Tamny said that a poorly designed internal component can allow the Grand Cherokee’s transmission to come to a rest in an unstable position between park and reverse. To the driver, the vehicle will feel like it is in park. But a door slamming or the motor revving up to power an air conditioner can create vibrations that cause the vehicle to slip into reverse, according to Tamny.
The fix that Chrysler is proposing will not replace that internal component, commonly called a “rooster comb.”
Instead, Rosenau said, the company will install a new part in the gearshift mechanism. This part is designed to eliminate chances that the transmission could come to a rest between park and reverse. “It has a very acute point between park and reverse, so there will be no ambiguity for drivers,” Rosenau said.
Until now, Chrysler had steadfastly resisted a recall, saying it believed that drivers who inadvertently left Grand Cherokees in reverse were to blame. Safety director Reynolds said Thursday that “the investigation did not identify any defect in the vehicle.”
“Why would you do this if there is no defect?” Tamny asked. “It’s not as if this is something that’s cost-free.” The company said it was acting to resolve consumer concerns.
But according to NHTSA documents, its investigators became quickly convinced that something was indeed wrong. In July, when the probe was in its early stages, agency engineer Peter Kivett, the lead investigator on the case, test drove a Grand Cherokee that a consumer had complained about.
“The investigator was able to duplicate the complaint,” an agency report said. “The vehicle engaged reverse while it was in the park position. . . . A total of three park-to-reverse failures occurred.”
Safety officials also found that the rate of consumer complaints involving Grand Cherokees that slipped into reverse was more than five times greater than for the nearest SUV built by a competitor. In November, the agency intensified its investigation.
Officials said the recall of more than 1 million vehicles is unusual but not unprecedented.
The Grand Cherokee has been enormously popular with motorists since it was launched in 1993. Lately, Chrysler has been advertising it as a safety vehicle--”a 4,000-lb. guardian angel”--touting its advanced air bags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes and other features.
A Minneapolis print shop owner who suffered a severe knee injury when he was pinned to a loading dock by his 1996 Grand Cherokee is a testament to the popularity of the brand. Alan Goltzman now owns a 2001 model.
“I always said that I put it in park, but nobody believed me,” Goltzman said. “I’m kind of shocked [by the recall]. Chrysler was so adamant that there was nothing wrong. I think they’re doing it so the government doesn’t force them to.”
