Government steps up Jeep Liberty air bag probe

DETROIT (AP) — Federal safety regulators have stepped
up their investigation into the Jeep Liberty SUV after
50 people reported they were hurt when the air bags inflated even
though the vehicle wasn't involved in a crash.

The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration started
investigating Liberty SUVs made by Chrysler Group LLC
from the 2002 and 2003 model years in September. The
investigation was upgraded to a full engineering analysis last
week.

Documents on the agency website say Chrysler and regulators
have gotten 87 complaints of air bags going off by surprise.
Nearly 387,000 vehicles are under investigation.

Drivers reported burns, cuts and bruises. No deaths have
occurred.

Forty-two of the incidents involved the driver's front air bag,
with the remaining 45 cases involving both the driver and front
passenger air bags, the documents said. The incidents occurred
as the vehicle was being started and while it was being driven.
The agency said some of the Liberty owners reported that the
air bag warning light illuminated just before the air bags were
inflated. But others reported that they didn't see any warning
light.

NHTSA said in the documents that Chrysler inspected the air bag
control computer chip and found that it fails due to a possible
electrical voltage spike.

The company says no incidents have happened in vehicles made
after March 19, 2003. But regulators say Chrysler can't explain
that, so they are starting an engineering analysis.

Messages were left Monday seeking comment from a Chrysler
spokesman.

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Government steps up Jeep Liberty air bag probe