Consummate car guy Bob Lutz and United Auto Workers Vice President General Holiefield leapt to Chrysler Group LLC’s defense Friday as the Auburn Hills automaker continued to defy a recall request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA has asked Chrysler to recall 2.7 million Jeeps that it believes are at risk of a fuel tank fire. According to to the agency’s preliminary assessment, plastic gas tanks behind the axles of 1993 to 2004 Grand Cherokees and 2002 to 2007 Libertys can be punctured and catch fire when the sport utility vehicles are hit from behind.
But Chrysler says its SUVs met federal safety requirements in place at the time and are no more unsafe than any others built during the same period. And the company has refused to comply with the recall request.
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