Fiat Chrysler Automobiles today announced it plans to recall nearly 225,000 Jeep Wrangler SUVs because the vehicle’s air bag may not properly inflate during a crash.
The recall covers certain 2016 and 2017 Wranglers made from June 16, 2015 to Aug. 14, 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2017 Wranglers are still with the company, FCA said.
The automaker encountered a problem in a 35-mph crash test for government certification. Both front airbags and seatbelt pretensioners did not deploy as designed.
FCA reported in government documents that during this test it found the Wrangler’s left headlight would rotate in certain situations, pulling wiring loose to a sensor, which then cut off signals to an air bag computer. Should that happen, the seat belt pretensioners will not work and the air bag will fail to deploy.
FCA added that no one has been hurt because of this issue, and no customers have complained or reported crashes.
Repairs to fix this issue are not available yet, FCA said, but owners will be contacted when to set up service appointments with dealers who will reroute the wiring at no cost to owners.
All told, the automaker said it plans to recall 182,743 Wranglers registered in the United States, 18,011 in Canada, 3,087 in Mexico and 20,948 elsewhere.
