America-based automotive maker Chrysler is recalling nearly 750,000 Jeep sport utility vehicles in the United States to fix a part that could cause the airbags to inflate while the cars are in motion.
According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , the recall affects Jeep Grand Cherokees from the 2002 through 2004 model years. Also covered are Jeep Liberty vehicles made in 2002 and 2003.
In the recall release, the NHTSA said a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front airbags, side curtain airbags, or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
“A design change to a supplied component was linked to a small number of inadvertent air bag deployments, and in keeping with the best interests of our customers, we initiated a recall campaign,” said David Dillon, Chrysler’s head of product investigations and campaigns.
Reuters reports that, in October 2011, the Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation relating to complaints of inadvertent airbag deployments in Liberty SUVs, according to the documents.
In January 2012, the probe was upgraded to an engineering analysis to include the Grand Cherokee SUVs. The NHTSA said an investigation found that the air bags went off 215 times causing 81 minor injuries.
No crashes were reported.
To remedy the situation, Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a supplemental jumper harness to the airbag control module, free of charge.
The recall is expected to begin during January 2013.
For more information on the recall, owners head over to the NHTSA’s website here or contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753.
