NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE13-027: Headliner Fires
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-027 on August 19, 2013 and closed it on January 14, 2014. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE13-027 (also written PE13027)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed January 14, 2014
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Components
- Electrical System; Electrical System — Wiring; Electrical System — Wiring — Fuses and Circuit Breakers; Electrical System — Wiring — Interior/Under Dash; Interior Lighting
- Vehicles and equipment
- Dodge Durango and 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 Preliminary Evaluation PE13-027.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified 5 reports of vehicle headliners catching fire at the front of the vehicle near the sun visors on Jeep Grand Cherokees.
Customers reported a range of fire conditions ranging from minor overheating to an open flame at the headliner and/or sun visor material while driving the vehicle. In some reports the fire spread to the front seats and/or door panels of the vehicle.
In one report, the sunroof was damaged causing the glass to shatter.
The cause of these fires is an electrical short in the vanity lighting wiring circuit that is routed to either one of the sun visors.
The sun visors are mounted to the roof of the vehicle through the headliner with three screws.
The sun visor wiring may be penetrated, or pierced by one of these screws either during initial vehicle assembly or subsequent headliner area repairs.
The piercing causes an electrical short that could result in a fire.
There is no dedicated fuse for the affected circuit so the electrical short can continue until the short clears or the vehicle is keyed off.
The Dodge Durango uses the same headliner assembly, and Chrysler indicates there are similar headliner fire incidents affecting this model. Therefore, these vehicles have been added to the scope of the investigation.
Analyzing the data received from Chrysler along with ODI reports indicates there may be a total of 52 unique fire incidents (including 3 injury allegations) on Grand Cherokee and Durango vehicles which ODI will continue to evaluate during the investigation.
Based on ODI's evaluation of currently available data, this investigation is being upgraded toEngineering Analysis EA14-001.
The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10536895, 10556110, 10522665, 10522159, 10515592
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE13-027. 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.
Dodge
All Dodge recallsJeep
All Jeep recallsWhat 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE13-027
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.