Regulators Investigating Jeep, Nissan SUVs After Receiving Fire, Airbag Complaints

Having your car fill with smoke while driving down the road or finding that the airbags don’t deploy properly during an accident are most definitely causes for concern. That’s why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened investigations into thousands of Jeep Cherokees and Nissan Rogues.

The Associated Press reports that regulators are investigating engine compartment smoke and fire complaints in Jeep Cherokees and airbag issues in Nissan Rogue vehicles.

NHTSA officials say the first probe, which involves approximately 50,000 model year 2015 Jeep Cherokees, was initiated after the agency received reports from two consumers regarding fire and smoke engulfing the vehicles.

One driver in California reported that he smelled oil from under the hood of his vehicle while driving on January 4. Shortly after he parked the Cherokee at home, white smoke began filtering out from under the hood.

“Within seconds the entire car was engulfed in fire, flames 20 feet high,” the owner said in the complaint. “Burning oil or fuel ran down the street over 50 yards.”

In a second complaint, the owner of the a Jeep Cherokee reported that he noticed smoke under the hood while driving 60 miles-per-hour.

In both cases, the vehicles had less than 100 miles on them. NHTSA reports that no injuries occurred in either incident.

A spokesperson for Fiat Chrysler tells the AP that the company is working with NHTSA to resolve the investigation.

The agency’s second investigation into nearly 195,000 model year 2013 Nissan Rouges was initiated after NHTSA received two complaints alleging the airbags deployed up to a minute after crashes and either inflated slowly or didn’t inflate fully. No injuries were reported as a result of the issues.

A spokesperson for Nissan says the airbags were not made by Japanese parts maker Takata and that the car maker is working with NHTSA on the investigation.

US probes Jeep Cherokee engine fires and slow-deploying air bags in Nissan Rogue [The Associated Press]

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