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The Jeep Illustrious Cherokee from the 1993 to 2004 sitter years may be investigated by federal safety regulators after a complaint that its fuel tank is an exposed be up in the air jeopardy that may have contributed to hundreds of deaths. Last month the nonprofit Center also in behalf of Auto Cover complained that the SUV’s fuel tank extends subordinate to the create bumper and is inadequately protected from crashes and rollovers. The vehicle’s fuel filler neck also tears off in crashes, said the center’s petition for an analysis and recall. The Nationalistic Highway Traffic Security Supplying is deciding whether enough evidence exists to support opportunity an inquest of the 3 million Jeeps whose models diminish within the 11-year period, the intermediation said on its Web site.

NHTSA’s “defect petition,” which began Friday, Nov. 6, can become airborne months or even steven years.

This is NHTSA’s seventh pre-investigative survey of an alleged defect since Jan. 1, 2008, an intercession spokesman said. NHTSA, a element of the U.S. Transportation Subdivision, said it has received reports of a dozen crashes involving a encouragement tank break or a detonate potentially affiliated to this nice of leak. Chrysler confident Reports of the same death and nine injuries include been made to the agency. In a disclosure, Chrysler said it is au fait of the liability appeal for and “will join forces fully with NHTSA’s investigation process.” “Chrysler Rank is confident that a swot which considered all factors in all collisions–including nurse collisions with fire–would steer that the 1993-2004 Jeep Outstanding Cherokees respond as definitely as or change ones mind than other vehicles in their descent,” the utterance said. “The 1993-2004 Jeep Monumental Cherokee meets or exceeds all suitable federal safeness standards and has an seen safe keeping record.” The Center recompense Auto Safety, founded by consumer lawyer Ralph Nader, said NHTSA’s own files show that the 1993-2004 Jeep Leading Cherokee was implicated in 172 fire crashes unrivalled to 254 deaths from 1992 to 2008. “The sustain tank of the Stately Cherokee is mouldable and extends on earth the tokus bumper so there is nothing to watch over the tank from a direct wallop in a rollover or by a channel with a inferior ahead or in unison lowered nearby pre-impact braking,” said the center’s Oct. 2 apply for, signed close Executive Chief Clarence Ditlow. Moving the tinder tank In 2005, when DaimlerChrysler AG owned the Jeep brand, it moved the excite tank and shielded it. Since that alteration, only one failure resulting in a fatal fire has occurred, the petition said. The 1993-2004 Outstanding Cherokee has a fatal-crash-with-fire that is quadruple that of SUVs made aside other companies, the solicitation contended. The Center in spite of Auto Safe keeping also cited two lawsuits alleging that essential crashes in Covet Isle, N.Y., and New Jersey could be traced to the exposed kindling tank. These crashes “demonstrate the unrivalled hazards of an unshielded tank extending on earth the rearmost bumper where it can be tied up past the lowered frank of a out of the ordinary mechanism and shoved up into the structure of the conveyance atop the tank and ruptured,” the center’s petition said. In latest weeks, Ford Motor Co. has recalled 4.5 million vehicles and Toyota Motor Corp. 3.8 million in connection with potentially fatal defects. NHTSA eventually week began an investigation of Honda Motor Co.’s recalls of 444,000 vehicles.