NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA01-017: ROLL-AWAY IN REVERSE WHEN PARKED

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA01-017 on November 1, 2001 and closed it on December 18, 2002. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1993–2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee for it and links recall 02V-053 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: EA01-017 (also written EA01017)
Investigation type: Engineering Analysis A more detailed stage of a defect investigation, opened when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation decides an issue merits further review, often after a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query; it can include vehicle testing, surveys and further information requests.
Status: Closed December 18, 2002
Opened: November 1, 2001
Closed: December 18, 2002
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component: Power Train
Recall linked by NHTSA: 02V-053: DAIMLERCHRYSLER/INADVERTENT VEHICLE MOVEMENT, reported February 15, 2002
Vehicles and equipment: 1993–2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA01-017.

DAIMLERCHRYSLER HAS RECALLED THE ZJ MODELS TO INCORPORATE A SECONDARY DETENT SPRING INTO THE SHIFTER.EVEN THOUGH THE WJ 6 CYL. VEHICLES USE THE SAME MANUAL DETENT LEVER THAT AS THE VEHICLES IN THE RECALL POPULATION, ODI BELIEVES THAT THE WJ REDESIGNED SHIFTER, WHICH IMPROVES FLOOR SHIFTER FUNCTIONALITY AND ERGONOMICS, HELPS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THE DRIVER TO INDICATE WHETHER ?PARK? HAS OR HAS NOT BEEN ACHIEVED.ALTHOUGH THE INVESTIGATOR WAS ABLE TO INDUCE A ?FALSE PARK? IN THE WJ PLATFORM FOR 6 CYL. VEHICLES, THE LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY WAS GREATER THAN THAT REQUIRED FOR ALL ZJ MODELS, AND THE COMPLAINT RATE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE RECALLED ZJ POPULATION.FURTHER, THE ODI INVESTIGATOR WAS ALSO ABLE TO CREATE A ?FALSE PARK? IN PEER VEHICLES WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY AND FREQUENCY AS THE SUBJECT VEHICLE WJ PLATFORM.THE WJ COMPLAINT RATE WAS INFLATED DUE TO NATIONAL EXPOSURE THROUGH THE PRESS. THE COMPLAINT RATE PRIER TO THE JULY 5, 2001 MEDIA COVERAGE FOR THE WJ VEHICLES IS SIMILAR TO THE PEER VEHICLE INCIDENT RATE.BASED ON THE ABOVE, A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME IN THE WJ POPULATION.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED WITH A SAFETY RECAL FOR THE ZJ PLATFORM ONLY.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA01-017. 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
- 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002

All Jeep recalls

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 EA01-017

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.