Jeep Grand Cherokee Recall Issued Over Fuel Pump Failure Risk

About 467,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles are being recalled because they were equipped with faulty fuel pump relay systems, which may unexpectedly fail and cause the vehicles to suddenly stall, posing a serious crash risk. 

The Fiat Chrysler recall was announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on March 5, following an internal investigation that indicated the fuel pump relay inside the vehicles’ Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM-7) may fail

Although no reports of injuries have been reported in connection with the defect, a sudden stall may pose a serious risk for vehicle occupants and others on the road.

The recall impacts 2012 through 2013 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV’s manufactured from September 17, 2010 to August 19, 2013, which are equipped with 3.6, 5.7, or 6.4 liter engines, as well as 2012 through 2013 model year Dodge Durango vehicles manufactured from January 18, 2011 to August 19, 2013, which are equipped with either a 3.6 or 5.7 liter engine. In total, the recall covers 338,216 vehicles in the U.S., 18,991 in Canada, 10,829 in Mexico and 99,444 outside the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Fiat Chrysler first became aware of the potential defect in October 2013, when an investigation was opened after the safety office noticed that the TIPM-7 parts were on national backorder due to warranty claims.

After testing the vehicles in question, Fiat Chrysler was able to replicate the stall hazard, which was determined to be caused by a deformation of contact springs due to extreme heat caused by the combination of contact power and ambient temperature around the fuel pump relay.

According to the test results, the fuel pump relay got so hot due to the deterioration of the contact springs that it would shut down momentarily, causing a stall hazard.

Fiat Chrysler initially recalled 189,000 SUV models in September of 2014 for the fuel pump relay issues, but has since discovered and expanded more SUV’s experiencing similar defects. Between both recalls, the number of impacted vehicles actually recalled is nearly 656,000, and some safety advocates have warned that more than 5 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles are equipped with the same or similar fuel pump components, which could be vulnerable to stall hazards.

Chrysler announced that affected owners will receive an official notification letter with instructions to schedule an appointment with their local dealer, who will replace the fuel pump relay with one external to the TIPM. The recall is expected to begin on April 24, 2015, but owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403 and refer to recall number R09 for further questions. The NHTSA also encourages owners to report any incident reports to the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.