Jeep Recall Flip-Flop: Chrysler Will Recall 2.7 Million Vehicles

The jeep recall will go forward. Up to a few hours ago, it was widely reported that Chrysler would resist a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) demand that the automaker recall 2.7 million Jeep sport utility vehicles (SUVs) because of a possible fire risk.

Now the third-largest US automaker has agreed that it will recall the vehicles and install a trailer hitch designed to soften the impact of low-speed accidents.

NHTSA demanded the recall on June 4 after their investigators determined that at least 50 people died in fires from rear-end collisions caused by a defective gas tank design.

Chrysler has said that the vehicles are safe but they will bow to consumer concerns.

Calling it a voluntary campaign rather than a recall, the automaker stated that SUVs without the hitches will get them. SUVs with broken or after-market hitches from other manufacturers will get official Chrysler hitches.

The recall includes Jeep Grand Cherokees from 1993 through 2004 and Jeep Libertys from 2002 through 2007.

According to a USA Today report, the public wasn’t really all that concerned and the price of the SUVs hadn’t been much affected by the debate. Reporter James R. Healey pointed out that the cars involved in the recall are old — sometimes very old, in the case of the ’93s.

AutoTrader editor Brian Moody told him: “The current Jeep vehicles are so fundamentally different that it may not matter as much to the average car shopper.”

Most people who hold these older cars know them well and aren’t about to panic. Among many people, Jeeps are well-regarded for toughness, as you can see from the top photograph of a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the Middle East.

However, your next step is to contact your Chrysler dealer if you hold a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Jeep Liberty affected by the jeep recall.

[2004 Grand Cherokee photo by Aziz J. Hayat via Flickr and Creative Commons]