Jeep Airbag Recall Repairs Being Investigated by NHTSA

Federal auto safety investigators are looking into whether a Chrysler recall that impacted three-quarters of a million Jeep Liberty and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles properly repaired the vehicles, following at least six new reports of airbag problems among vehicles that were supposedly fixed by the manufacturer. 

The Chrysler Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee investigation (PDF) was launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on May 29, following consumer complaints that suggest the vehicles airbags may still spontaneously deploy while driving, despite prior recall repairs that were done for the same issue.

The initial recall was announced on November 7, 2012, after Chrysler received at least 215 incident reports of the airbags deploying inadvertently, causing 81 minor injuries, but no crashes. The recall impacted 744,822 sport utility vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured between January 9, 2001 and March 28, 2003 and model year 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured between February 13, 2001 and May 23, 2003.

The original recall investigation led Chrysler to believe the front, side curtain, and seatbelt airbags were deploying due to a change in the capacitor by the supplier. The recall prompted owners to have their vehicles repaired at a local Chrysler dealer where the technicians installed an electrical filter to eliminate electrical spikes in the airbag circuits.

Recently, Chrysler has received at least six reports of the airbags in repaired vehicles deploying without being involved in a crash or circumstance worthy of deploying the airbags. There have not been any reports of crashes but some incidents reported occupants receiving cuts and burns.

In documents filed on Monday, the NHTSA announced it plans to study the effectiveness of the repairs. The NHTSA will work directly with Chrysler to determine why the airbags are still deploying inadvertently.

Photo courtesy of halidCan! (: via Flickr Creative Commons