NHTSA Opens US Investigation Into KJ Liberty/Cherokee Air Bags

The US Safety Agency the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a ODI investigation after receiving seven consumer complaints on model year 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty (Cherokee) vehicles including four owners alleging that the driver frontal air bag deployed without a crash and three owners alleging that both the driver and passenger frontal air bags suddenly deployed without a crash.

Five of the seven complaints alleged an injury incident totaling five injuries. Six of the seven owners stated that their vehicle was being operated on a residential roadway with three alleging that they were travelling on a highway at speeds of 45 mph or greater when the air bag(s) deployed. Some owners noted that the air bag light had been illuminated, or had intermittently illuminated prior to the deployment. In addition, ODI has received 32 early warning field reports involving 10 injury incidents totaling 10 injuries. The field reports indicated that inspections of the vehicles did not reveal any evidence of exterior vehicle impacts or damage that could have reasonably caused the air bags to deploy. A preliminary evaluation has been opened to investigate the alleged defect. The investigation number is PE11035.
It is not known if any Australian delivered vehicles will be effected and the NHTSA has not yet issued a recall as it is still a preliminary investigation. The Jeep KJ Liberty is sold outside North America as the KJ Cherokee. Chrysler Australia would issue any recall notice if required once the investigation is completed in the US.