Can A Tow Hitch Really Prevent A Jeep Tank Explosion? Chrysler Thinks So.
Consumer and auto safety groups cry foul that the National Highway Traffic And Safety Administration approved Chrylser’s add-a-tow-hitch “solution” for Jeep rear mounted tank explosions.Consumer and auto safety groups cry foul that the National Highway Traffic And Safety Administration approved Chrylser’s add-a-tow-hitch “solution” for Jeep rear mounted tank explosions. Consumers who are not satisfied with Chrysler's solution do have after market options.
Consumer and auto safety groups cry foul that the National Highway Traffic And Safety Administration approved Chrylser’s add-a-tow-hitch “solution” for Jeep rear mounted tank explosions. Consumers who are not satisfied with Chrysler's solution do have after market options.
- At First, Chrysler Told The Federal Government To Shove Off
- The Junk In the Jeep Trunk May Be Too Hot To Handle
- Running The Numbers On Jeep Fuel Tank Explosions
- Are Jeep Fuel Tank Fires An Urban Myth? Chrysler Thinks So
- Chrylser and the Feds Come Up With A Compromise That Makes Them Happy, But Others Angry.
- Even Chrysler Admitted The Effectiveness Of The Tow Hitch Solution Is Limited
- Safety Solutions For Jeeps Chrysler Refuses To Cover
At First, Chrysler Told The Federal Government To Shove Off
The Jeep brand has always been a symbol of rugged individualism. I guess it was in that spirit that the Chrysler corporation gave the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration the allegorical middle finger in 2013 when Chrysler said no way to recalling 2.7 million Jeeps that the NHTSA said were dangerous due to a design flaw. From a public relations standpoint Chrysler’s recall refusal did not go over well. So Chrysler changed course and submitted a solution proposal to the NHTSA. The solution, adding a trailer hitch to some of the affected vehicles, was derided by many. But in January 2014 the NHTSA approved it, again to the chagrin of those who advocate for vehicle safety.
The Junk In the Jeep Trunk May Be Too Hot To Handle
The Jeep Grand Cherokee underwent a redesign in 1999. The WJ model had a fuel tank located behind the rear axle. This was the case for Jeep Grand Cherokees from 1999 to 2004. In 2001 Chrysler introduced the same type of fuel tank layout and positioning in the Jeep Liberty. That stayed the case for Liberty’s from 2002-2007. The contention is that the position of the fuel tank makes it so that when Jeep Libertys and/or Jeep Grand Cherokees are hit from behind, the front of the car colliding with the back of the Jeep can puncture the fuel tank causing sparks to ignite exposed gasoline. The images aren’t pretty.
Running The Numbers On Jeep Fuel Tank Explosions
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration was not gunning for Chrysler on this issue. The NHTSA had to be prodded to investigate the Jeep fuel tank fires. The prodding was done by the consumer advocacy group Center For Auto Safety. The CAS conducted its own independent tests and submitted the tests results to the NHTSA. The CAS’s report not only called out the fuel tanks prone to be punctured but also a fuel-filler hose on the Jeep Grand Cherokee that came loose very easily.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration ignored the fuel-filler hose part of the CAS report but then conducted its own analysis regarding the Jeep fuel tank fires. The Office of Defects Investigation of the The NHTSA used statistical analysis to examine the post crash fires in the following vehicles, which it considered comparable to the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty:
- The GMC S10 Blazer
- The Ford Explorer
- The Toyota 4Runner
- The Isuzu Rodeo
- The Isuzu Trooper
- The Mitsubishi Montero
- The Suzuki Sidekick
- The Suzuki XL-7
After reviewing the statistics the ODI came to the conclusion that the rate of fatalities in fires that came after a Jeep vehicle was rear ended were substantially higher than the rate of fires that came after the other vehicles they tested were rear ended. After reviewing the report from the ODI (you can view a summary of the Office of Defects Investigation report here) the NHTSA wrote a letter to Chrysler strongly suggesting a recall of the the MY 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the MY 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty. The letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Chrysler Group stated outright that the vehicles “contained defects related to motor vehicle safety”. The NHTSA’s analysis found that 51 people died in fires related to Jeep fuel tanks between 2009 and 2011. The Center For Automotive Safety says that the NHTSA’s analysis underestimates the fatalities and that the true number of deaths (at least three of them toddlers burnt up while they were strapped in their car seats in the back seat) is 160.
Are Jeep Fuel Tank Fires An Urban Myth? Chrysler Thinks So
Chrysler, in an unprecedented move for any automobile manufacturer that sells vehicles in the United States, told the National Highway Traffic Safety Association that no recall of the over three million Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Libertys would be forthcoming. Oh yea, Chrysler Group basically just thumbed its nose at the federal government.
Chrysler published a “white paper” in the Investor pages of the Chrysler group website. In the white paper Chrysler explains why the statistical analysis done by the Office of Defects Investigations on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty fuel tank fires was totally flawed. Chrysler claimed that the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty were no more likely to explode on rear impact than was the Suzuki Sidekick or any of the other vehicles tested. It is a sad day when Jeep is promoting its brand by touting the fact that it explodes no more frequently than a piece-of-crap Suzuki Sidekick.
It is a sad day when Jeep is promoting its brand by touting the fact that it explodes no more frequently than a piece-of-crap Suzuki Sidekick.
Whatever Chrysler was claiming, the media, and therefore the public, did not really buy it. WUSA9 did an Emmy Award winning series of news stories on the Jeep fuel tank fires. It is hard to combat that kind of negative publicity. In addition, the NHTSA was not going to take “No way” for an answer lieing down. In the days after Chrysler made its recall refusal public, there was talk that the NHTSA might open a hearing, which might lead to a court battle. A court battle would probably include testimony from the teary-eyed parents of the toddlers who died. That is not the kind of television footage Chrysler wanted to have associated with the Jeep brand.
Chrylser and the Feds Come Up With A Compromise That Makes Them Happy, But Others Angry.
Six days after the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration formally asked Chrysler to conduct a recall, there was a meeting between the NHTSA and the auto maker. It took place June 9, 2013 at the Federal Aviation Administration Office in the O’hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. Sergio Marchionne, the head of Fiat, flew in from Italy to meet with David Strickland, the NHTSA Administrator and Ray LaHood, the Transportation Secretary.
Together the three men hammered out a deal. Jeep would not be recalling all 2.7 million vehicles the NHTSA analysis showed were vulnerable. Jeep’s recall would cover 1.56 million vehicles, both Jeep Grand Cherokees in model years 1992 to 1998 and Jeep Libertys in model years 2002 to 2007. That still left 1.2 million Jeep Grand Cherokees manufactured between 1999 and 2004 that the NHTSA said were vulnerable to fuel tank fires.
The solution put forth by Chrysler was to install a trail hitch assembly. The idea would be that if the Jeep was rear ended the hood of the colliding car would not get an opportunity to puncture the fuel tank because it would run into the trail hitch and the Jeep being rear ended would be pushed forward.
Owners of Jeep Grand Cherokees and Jeep Libertys subject to the recall will, supposedly, get notices telling them to bring their vehicles into their nearest dealer to get a trail hitch installed.
Owners of the 1.2 million Jeep Grand Cherokees in model years 1999 - 2004 will get a service call letter. They will be invited to have their vehicle inspected. The inspection will check to see if they have a non-factory trailer hitch that has sharp edges. If they do, it will be replaced with a factory Mopar trailer hitch. If they already have a factory trailer hitch or they have no trailer hitch at all, no action will be taken.
Even Chrysler Admitted The Effectiveness Of The Tow Hitch Solution Is Limited
Everyone, including Chrysler, knew that this was not a perfect solution. In the proposal Chrysler formally submitted for the trail hitch solution, Chrysler states that the hitch would only “incrementally improve performance in certain types of low speed impacts”. Chrysler said there was not much of anything that could be done to protect drivers and passengers from fuel tank explosions, which Chrysler still claimed were rare anyway, in high speed rear impact collisions.
Skepticism about the trail hitch solution came swiftly once the proposal was made public. Both the Center for Automotive Safety and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety attempted to put pressure on the NHTSA to conduct tests to analyze the effectiveness of the trail hitch solution. They both quoted the testimony of Francois J. Castaing, Chrysler Vice President of engineering from 1988 to 1996, from a 2011 wrongful death suit against Chrysler regarding a Jeep fuel tank explosion. In the suit Castaing said the “tow package does not protect the tank”. Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety went so far as to call David Strickland a sell out, saying “It is tragic that NHTSA approved Chrysler’s sham trailer hitch recall for Jeeps that explode in rear impacts. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland will be remembered as the Administrator who took a job with one of Chrysler’s lawfirms [sic] rather than save more children like Cassidy Jarmon from burning to deaths [sic] in Jeeps with trailer hitches.”
No such skepticism about the solution was voiced by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The NHTSA approved Chrysler’s proposal in January of 2014. When the solution was announced, then Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood voiced confidence that it was “the right fix”, saying “The trailer hitch protects them (owners) from an explosion.” Whether or not the NHTSA conducted tests to verify that claim is not yet known but may come out by late Spring of 2014 when it is rumored the that NHTSA will submit its final report on the issue.
Safety Solutions For Jeeps Chrysler Refuses To Cover
If you have a Jeep Grand Cherokee not covered by the recall there are avenues you can take to protect your vehicle in case of a rear impact collision.
Tow Hitch
You can certainly purchase your own tow hitch. The physics behind why Chrysler says the tow hitch will offer protection is not dependent on the tow hitch being a factory model. An after market Jeep tow hitch will offer the same protection.Skid Plate
In the Center for Automotive Safety’s letter to Fiat regarding the Jeep fuel tank explosion problems, CAS lists simple and inexpensive remedies, including “optional skid plates for all 1993-2004 Grand Cherokees that do not have them.” A custom gas tank skid plate adds armored protection to the Jeep gas tank and is offered by after market manufacturers as well as by Mopar.Firepanel Gas Tank Cover
Firetrace International is going to offer a fire panel that covers the gas tank. When it gets hit it breaks into pieces. It is filled with fire retardant that sprays all over when the panel breaks up, putting out any fire caused by gasoline. The company, out of Arizona, already has one on the market for Crown Victorias. It does brisk business selling to police departments and the U.S. military. Soon it will be offering gas tank covers for Jeeps.For a list of online sources used to create this blog post please click here.
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