NHTSA Tells Chrysler to Speed Up Jeep Recall Fix
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is getting stern with Chrysler.
Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchione has been sent a stern letter from NHTSA demanding the company speed up its repair of recalled Jeep vehicles. The fix in this case is the installation of a trailer hitch to protect the vehicles’ gas tanks in rear-end collisions. NHTSA says that so far, only 3 percent of 1.5 million Jeep Liberty and Jeep Grand Cherokee models have been repaired.
“In fact, this morning I sent a letter to the chairman and CEO of Chrysler telling them they have to get their act in gear,” said David Friedman, deputy director of NHTSA. “They have to make sure they’re getting those parts in the hands of consumers.”
SEE ALSO: Slow Jeep Recall Explained by Chrysler
NHTSA recently issued a new advisory urging owners of the affected models to make appointments with their dealer as soon as possible. Chrysler currently has 400,000 parts available for owners of recalled vehicles.
The timeliness of this recall has been called into question before, and at the time Chrysler issued a response. “Launching a safety recall demands complex engineering and close coordination with NHTSA well before an automaker accumulates replacement parts. To accommodate the high-volume production required for this campaign, Chrysler Group had to find and enlist multiple new supplier partners to supply volume of this part that far exceeded normal demand,” read the statement.
[Source: Automotive News]
Discuss this story at our Jeep Forum
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
More by Stephen Elmer
Comments
Join the conversation
So I paid for the "trailer tow group". I pull a small trailer for the Boy Scouts. Had I waited a few weeks I'd have saved about $500. And yes I'm aware the recalled vehicles won't get the HD cooling/Alt/springs etc...Still kinda hurts me sphincter a tad