Investigation EA02029: 1993–1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Oct 16, 2002

Closed

Feb 10, 2004

Model years

1993–1998

Subject

Hood latch failure

Component: Latches/locks/linkages

Summary

Odi opened ea02-029 to determine whether a safety-related defect trend existed in the my 1997 jeep grand cherokee hood latch assemblies.during ea02-029, there was no specific failure mechanism identified that could differentiate the my 1997 vehicles from other vehicles containing this same hood latch assembly or could account for their higher complaint rate.as a result, odi expanded the scope of this investigation to include all grand cherokee vehicles equipped with the subject hood latch assemblies.in performing ea02-029, it was determined that some of the secondary hood latches in the subject vehicles may exhibit increased operating frictional resistance; however, since none of the primary hood latches showed any evidence of mechanical or operational deficiency and the complaint rate of hood fly-ups measured over an extended exposure time was low, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.

Model years covered

• 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee1,028 complaints
• 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee991 complaints
• 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee893 complaints
• 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee719 complaints
• 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee588 complaints
• 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee555 complaints