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CAS 2016 letter to the DOT and NHTSA regarding the Chrysler in Jeep Fire Case
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.
February 19, 2016
The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary of Transportation
U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590
U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590
The Honorable Mark Rosekind
Administrator
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
Administrator
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary Foxx & Administrator Rosekind,
The most lethal vehicle safety defect in America today is not the Takata airbag inflator. It’s the fuel tank behind the rear axle in the 1993-98 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 1993-01 Cherokee and 2002-07 Liberty that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigated in EA12-005. The Takata airbag inflator has claimed 9 lives in the US since its first use in 2000. Since June 3, 2013 when NHTSA asked Chrysler to recall the 1993-98 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 2002- 07 Liberty, there have been 47 deaths in fatal fire crashes in the investigated Jeeps, at least 19 of which have been fire deaths according to NHTSA or medical records. The Grand Cherokee and Liberty accounted for 14 of the 19 fire deaths.
Below are three victims of this most lethal defect – 17 year old Skyler Anderson and 24 year olds Chantae and Danny Reed Jr. Skyler’s father Todd testified before NHTSA in the Chrysler recall hearings that he would never have let his son drive the Jeep if he had known about the recall but he didn’t get a notice until more than a year after Chrysler agreed to a limited recall. Despite his testimony, NHTSA doesn’t even record the death in its FARS records as a Jeep.
Below are three victims of this most lethal defect – 17 year old Skyler Anderson and 24 year olds Chantae and Danny Reed Jr. Skyler’s father Todd testified before NHTSA in the Chrysler recall hearings that he would never have let his son drive the Jeep if he had known about the recall but he didn’t get a notice until more than a year after Chrysler agreed to a limited recall. Despite his testimony, NHTSA doesn’t even record the death in its FARS records as a Jeep.
Read the full 2016 letter to the DOT and NHTSA regarding the Chrysler in Jeep Fire Case.