Colonialgirl
Hawkeye
http://www.wesh.com/news/chrysler-issues-recall-because-of-combustion-risk/35474312
Robert Calabrese was enjoying sun and the sea air when he got a call telling him his Jeep was on fire.
"It certainly put a damper on my day at sea sitting in the sun and relaxing," Calabrese said.
The retired police officer was on a cruise when he was told his 2015 Chrysler Jeep Latitude, which had been sitting in his driveway, mysteriously went up in flames.
In a recall letter, Chrysler warned about a problem with the automatic lift gate controls that could allow water to get inside and "become inoperative and/or cause fire."
"It says there's no remedy at this time because we don't have any parts, wait for a second letter, which told me this thing really isn't urgent," Calabrese said.
"That's the most dangerous situation that you could ever be put in," said Larry Perry, a local mechanic.
Perry said if the connector had a waterproof seal, it never would have happened.
WESH 2 News Investigates contacted Chrysler and the company confirms there was no seal, but said because of its location, the company didn't think it would be needed.
Nationwide, Chrysler said it is aware of 10 possible fires related to this problem.
The automaker is voluntarily recalling nearly 100,000 SUVs in the United States to protect the lift gate controls from moisture, which could cause a short circuit leading to a fire.
The recall impacts 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokee SUVs with power lift gates.
Robert Calabrese was enjoying sun and the sea air when he got a call telling him his Jeep was on fire.
"It certainly put a damper on my day at sea sitting in the sun and relaxing," Calabrese said.
The retired police officer was on a cruise when he was told his 2015 Chrysler Jeep Latitude, which had been sitting in his driveway, mysteriously went up in flames.
In a recall letter, Chrysler warned about a problem with the automatic lift gate controls that could allow water to get inside and "become inoperative and/or cause fire."
"It says there's no remedy at this time because we don't have any parts, wait for a second letter, which told me this thing really isn't urgent," Calabrese said.
"That's the most dangerous situation that you could ever be put in," said Larry Perry, a local mechanic.
Perry said if the connector had a waterproof seal, it never would have happened.
WESH 2 News Investigates contacted Chrysler and the company confirms there was no seal, but said because of its location, the company didn't think it would be needed.
Nationwide, Chrysler said it is aware of 10 possible fires related to this problem.
The automaker is voluntarily recalling nearly 100,000 SUVs in the United States to protect the lift gate controls from moisture, which could cause a short circuit leading to a fire.
The recall impacts 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokee SUVs with power lift gates.
