Chrysler to Extend Warranties for Spill Issue on Some Jeep Wrangler

Federal supervisors have sealed an investigation into above 220,000 Jeep 2007-2008 Wrangler vehicles over concerns raised that they are a high possibility of spilling fuel.

Chrysler Group LLC has decided to set off a lifetime warranty program to deal with the accidental fuel spillage issue in 135,000 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler vehicles that where built from March 2007-March 2008.

All the dealers will look over and repair the inlet check valve if required. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rejected a recall, suggested the “artificially high” number of complaints could have been the cause of “internet-linked publicity.”

The organization closed its inquiry without ordering any sort of action, after it found “the rate of warranty claims” is worse than other vehicles recalled for the similar issue.

In August, after receiving about 217 complaints precisely, NHTSA opened a first round investigation into whether 223,000 Wranglers are spilling fuel during fill-ups.

Chrysler stated that the testing showed the use of fuels with ethanol content higher than that found in E10 fuel can cause the inlet check valve to get bigger and lead to unintentional fuel spillage.

NHTSA acknowledged a subset of the Wranglers - roughly around 135,000 vehicles built from March 2007-March 2008 - that have higher rates of complaints as well as warranty claims.

The organization said considerable reporting of complaints began Oct. 11, 2009 - the date a Wrangler owner posted the internet link to the organization’s safety complaint form on an internet forum titled “The Ultimate Jeep JK Wrangler Bulletin Board.”

No crashes were associated to the issue. NHTSA said three complaints were reported for minor injuries when fuel got into motorists’ eyes, causing irritation, or when fuel splashed onto feet and caused a “gas burn” skin irritation.