After Fire, N.H.T.S.A. to Inspect Jeep Grand Cherokee Involved in Deadly Crash

The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

As part of an effort to determine whether millions of Jeep Grand Cherokees from the 1993-2004 model years should be recalled because their gas tanks may be susceptible to rupturing in rear impacts, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a recent crash in which a Florida man died.

“As part of our open defect investigation, N.H.T.S.A. plans to inspect the Jeep Grand Cherokee that was involved in a recent Orlando area crash,” Karen Aldana, an agency spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail.

The accident occurred on Nov. 16 on Interstate 4 in Lake Mary, Fla., according to a report from the state’s highway patrol.

The report said that a 1997 Grand Cherokee was struck from behind by a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer after the driver did not notice that traffic ahead had stopped. The Jeep caught fire after the impact, and a 24-year-old passenger was trapped in the vehicle and died.

Click here to view the full article from the New York Times