DETROIT (AP) — An auto safety advocate wants the government to reopen an investigation of rear-crash fires in older Jeep SUVs after finding at least 11 more deaths since the vehicles were recalled.
Center for Auto Safety head Clarence Ditlow says the deaths show that the recall repair — a trailer hitch to protect gas tanks in low-speed crashes — hasn't been effective.
He sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx seeking the investigation. It says a remedy should be developed that saves lives.
In June 2013, Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.56 million older Grand Cherokees and Libertys. The company says the Jeeps are as safe as other vehicles from the same era.
A spokesman for the Transportation Department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says he just saw the letter and couldn't comment.