DaimlerChrysler repair of recalled minivans set to begin next week

Posted 7:55AM on Friday 18th January 2002 ( 23 years ago )

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - DaimlerChrysler AG announced it would begin repairing minivans that were recalled last year to fix leaky fuel seals. The German-American automaker said it would notify its dealers Friday that the first phase of the recall would start on Jan. 25. DaimlerChrysler agreed to the voluntary recall on Sept. 8, 2000, after 19 fires had been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Since the recall, six more engine fires have been reported and another 56 consumers have complained of fuel leaks in 1996-2000 model Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth minivans, according to government documents. The initial phase of the repairs would be limited to 1996-model Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth minivans, with newer models to follow. "We are notifying dealers to be prepared for people coming in for repairs starting Jan. 25," DaimlerChrysler spokesman Michael Rosenau told The Detroit News for a Friday story. The automaker had blamed the extensive delay on limited production capacity of replacement parts, and a time-consuming effort to come up with an alternative solution. The automaker said it now has an inventory of "clam shell" seals that fit snugly over potentially leaky o-rings. "Our supplier is producing 40,000 of the clam shells a week," Rosenau said. The automaker said that the o-rings degrade over extended periods of time, so the first phase of the recall will focus on 1996-model vans. "We don't know yet when we'll start to do the 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 models," Rosenau said. "It's going to take at least a month to get to them." Three people have died in fires in minivans that were part of the recall population. On Jan. 25, 1999, 76-year-old Elinor Ovens died in a fire in a brand-new, $33,000 Town & Country minivan in rural Georgia. Seven months later, Richard and Anne Caddock were killed when their Town & Country erupted in flames after a traffic collision in Roseburg, Ore. Neither NHTSA nor DaimlerChrysler attribute those fires specifically to fuel-rail leaks. But relatives of the victims are convinced that fuel-system defects contributed to the sudden fires. Relatives of Ovens have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against DaimlerChrysler in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. A NHTSA spokesman said the agency will monitor the automaker's progress, but said it was DaimlerChrysler's responsibility to follow through on the recall. "It's up to DaimlerChrysler to get 1.16 million repair kits to every service department of its U.S. dealers," said Tim Hurd of NHTSA. "They don't have to report the details to us." Consumers should wait until receiving a recall notice in the mail before taking their minivan to a dealer, Rosenau said. However, Rosenau added that any consumer who smells gas fumes should bring the vehicle to a dealer immediately.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/1/199988