NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Defect Petition DP97-004: VISCOUS COUPLING FAILURE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP97-004 on October 1, 1997 and closed it on January 20, 1998. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- DP97-004 (also written DP97004)
- Investigation type
- Defect Petition A petition asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; NHTSA grants or denies it, and granting one opens an investigation.
- Status
- Closed January 20, 1998
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Steering
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee
A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP97-004.
ALLEGED THAT THE VISCOUS COUPLING IN THE TRANSFER CASE OF HIS 1993 GRAND CHEROKEE VEHICLE FAILED WHICH AFFECTED STEERING, BRAKING AND STARTING OF THE VEHICLE.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP97-004. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Jeep
Jeep Grand Cherokee
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Jeep VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for DP97-004
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.