Chrysler Adds its name to Growing Mountain of Recalls
If one thinks back to last week at this time, the 2012 Presidential Race was in its final hours. The televison airwaves were flooded with political ads, whether they be attacking the opponent or extoling the virtues of a particular candidate. Perhaps one of the biggest feathers placed in President Obama's cap was his saving of the American automobile industry. That fact might be true, but some folks out there just might be wondering what he saved the industry for. That is because there seems to be a never ending stream of recalls being announced, causing car owners to have to waste time and gas money on manufacturer problems.
The latest of these recalls has Chrysler in the crosshairs, to the tune of over 900,000 SUVs. Imagine that figure for a moment. Over 900,000 customers are having to make arrangements to bring their cars into a dealership to get the vehicle serviced for problems that should never have been there when they left the line. At least in this case, the repairs will be done for free, with Jeep owners being notified starting sometime in January. According to an NBC Newsreport, the cars affected are Grand Cherokees produced in the 2002 through 2004 model-years, and Liberty SUVs produced in 2002 and 2003.
What is the problem this time around? Well, its a familiar one for the automobile industry, as airbags are once again the culprit. In the case of these two models, some of their airbags are deploying prematurely, whether caused by an accident or not. The company has said that there have been no deaths reported or crashes as a result of the premature airbag deployment. It cannot be said to be a small, isolated problem. That is because 775,000 are here in the United States, while Canada and Mexico combine for another 71,000 recalls.
It is rather amazing that theese defective deployments of airbags have not caused more in the way of devastating results. These airbags, which can be found up front and in the side doors, go off without the sensors controlling the deployment. The problem has been tracked down to a defective part used in the computers which control the airbags and their deployment. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration says that it has only happen to215people, but imagine their shock and horror when there is an airbag filling up in front of them. Losing control of the situation, whether a couple of seconds or minutes, can be enough to inflict maximum harm.
It will not be the last recall seen in the United States. Each week, something new comes up on the street and companies have to prepare to usually do a lot of free repairs. Why all of these problems? It could very well be that those in charge are not being proactive in terms of testing of problems. Quality control and complaceny both can take a big time hit if the employees are not properly motivated. Jeep makes some very nice models, popular especially with the younger generations that like to put the roof down and drive with the wind blowing through the air.
