US safety regulators have opened an investigation into an estimated 50,415 newer Jeep Cherokee SUVs after receiving complaints of engine compartment fires.
According to Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it opened the preliminary evaluation into the 2015 model year SUVs after a consumer from the San Diego area filed a complaint that their Jeep was “engulfed in flames approximately 20 feet high within seconds of parking the vehicle”. There were no injuries reported.
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The vehicle was purchased on 2 January and the fire occurred two days later after the SUV had been driven less than 100 miles, according to the complaint filed by the consumer.
In another complaint filed on 5 January, the owner of a 2015 Cherokee noticed smoke under the connet while driving the newly purchased vehicle at 60 miles per hour.
NHTSA said it had also identified field report data related to the alleged defect – as part of the Early Warning Reporting programme – so it opened the investigation to assess cause, scope and frequency of the alleged defect.
“We are aware of this incident and our investigators are cooperating fully with NHTSA’s preliminary evaluation,” Fiat Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne told Reuters.
A preliminary investigation is the first step in a process that can lead to a recall if regulators determine that a manufacturer needs to address a safety issue.
