NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA02-029: HOOD LATCH FAILURE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA02-029 on October 16, 2002 and closed it on February 10, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1993–1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA02-029 (also written EA02029)
- 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 February 10, 2004
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Components
- Latches/Locks/Linkages; Latches/Locks/Linkages — Hood — Latch; Structure
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1993–1998 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 Engineering Analysis EA02-029.
ODI OPENED EA02-029 TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND EXISTED IN THE MY 1997 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE HOOD LATCH ASSEMBLIES.DURING EA02-029, THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC FAILURE MECHANISM IDENTIFIED THAT COULD DIFFERENTIATE THE MY 1997 VEHICLES FROM OTHER VEHICLES CONTAINING THIS SAME HOOD LATCH ASSEMBLY OR COULD ACCOUNT FOR THEIR HIGHER COMPLAINT RATE.AS A RESULT, ODI EXPANDED THE SCOPE OF THIS INVESTIGATION TO INCLUDE ALL GRAND CHEROKEE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT HOOD LATCH ASSEMBLIES.IN PERFORMING EA02-029, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT SOME OF THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCHES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT INCREASED OPERATING FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE; HOWEVER, SINCE NONE OF THE PRIMARY HOOD LATCHES SHOWED ANY EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL OR OPERATIONAL DEFICIENCY AND THE COMPLAINT RATE OF HOOD FLY-UPS MEASURED OVER AN EXTENDED EXPOSURE TIME WAS LOW, A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA02-029. 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.
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 EA02-029
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.