The National Highway Traffic Safety has upgraded its investigation into rear suspension failures on about 200,000 Jeep Liberty S.U.V.’s from the 2004-5 model years.
The agency has intensified an investigation it started last April after receiving nine complaints that rear lower control arms were rusting and failing. That included three complaints indicating that drivers lost control but did not crash. The investigation covered 370,000 examples of Liberty models from 2002-5.
In a Sept. 15 document, the safety agency said it had 13 complaints related to the failures, but no reports of crashes or injuries.
N.H.T.S.A. said that while the initial investigation covered 2002-5 vehicles — a full model generation of the Liberty — all of the complaints involved vehicles from 2004–5 driven in states that used a lot of road salt. Chrysler, when asked for technical information, disclosed that it had made what the agency called a “substantial design change” to the rear suspension starting with the 2004 model year. None of the complaints received by the agency indicated there were rust problems with 2002-3 models, so now the agency has focused its investigation on the 2004-5 model years.
The agency has intensified an investigation it started last April after receiving nine complaints that rear lower control arms were rusting and failing. That included three complaints indicating that drivers lost control but did not crash. The investigation covered 370,000 examples of Liberty models from 2002-5.
In a Sept. 15 document, the safety agency said it had 13 complaints related to the failures, but no reports of crashes or injuries.
N.H.T.S.A. said that while the initial investigation covered 2002-5 vehicles — a full model generation of the Liberty — all of the complaints involved vehicles from 2004–5 driven in states that used a lot of road salt. Chrysler, when asked for technical information, disclosed that it had made what the agency called a “substantial design change” to the rear suspension starting with the 2004 model year. None of the complaints received by the agency indicated there were rust problems with 2002-3 models, so now the agency has focused its investigation on the 2004-5 model years.
