NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Recall Query RQ97-004: STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Recall Query RQ97-004 on March 20, 1997 and closed it on September 18, 1998. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee for it and links recall 93V-210 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- RQ97-004 (also written RQ97004)
- Investigation type
- Recall Query An investigation into whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or whether its remedy works, run much like a Preliminary Evaluation.
- Status
- Closed September 18, 1998
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Steering — Steering Wheel/Handle Bar
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 93V-210 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Recall Query RQ97-004.
ON JANUARY 25, 1994 CHRYSLER CONDUCTED A SAFETY RECALL TO CORRECT THE STEERING SHAFT ASSEMBLY IN MODEL YEAR 1993 GRAND CHEROKEE AND GRAND WAGONEER.THE RECALL POPULATION WAS 115,000 VEHICLES.THE DEFECT WAS THE MOLDED PLASTIC PIN WHICH CONNECTS THE UPPER STEERING COLUMN SHAFT AND THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN SHAFT WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN SHEARED/DAMAGED PRIOR TO THE INSTALLATION OF THE STEERING ASSEMBLY INTO THE VEHILE.IF THIS OCCURRED, THE UPPER STEERING SHAFT WILL SEPARATE FROM THE LOWER STEERING SHAFT CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF THE STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.AS A REMEDY, CHRYSLER INSTALLED A RESTRAINING SLEEVE TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF STEERING SHAFT MOVEMENT AVAILABLE.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Recall Query RQ97-004. 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.
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 RQ97-004
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.