The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially upgraded its investigation into nearly 387,000 2002-03 Jeep Liberty SUVs to a full blown engineering analysis. The issue under examination is the unintended deployment of one or both of the front airbags without a collision.
The NHTSA and Chrysler have received 87 complaints from Liberty owners concerning untimely airbag deployments. In 42 of the incidents, the driver’s front airbag deployed during normal driving, while both front airbags deployed in the remainder of incidents. Some owners reported seeing the instrument panel-mounted airbag warning light illuminate prior to the airbags inflating, though others didn’t observe any such warning.
Fifty injuries resulting from the airbag issue have been reported, including upper-body burns, bruises and cuts.
An inspection carried out by Chrysler suggested that an internal electronic chip that controls airbag deployment malfunctioned, possibly due to a spike in voltage. The automaker is continuing to search for possible root causes.
The NHTSA investigation, which was initiated last September, could lead to a recall if the agency identifies a safety-threatening defect.
