NHTSA Complaint #10561333 — 1999 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK. ALL DOORS AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WHEN VEHICLE SPEED INCREASES ABOVE APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH. VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND PASSENGER WAS NOT ABLE TO OPEN DOOR USING DOOR HANDLE. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE DOOR TO UNLOCK AND PASSENGER WAS ABLE TO EGRESS THE VEHICLE. THIS COULD POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO OCCUPANTS THAT COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH BY DELAYING OR PREVENTING THEIR EXITING FROM THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY OR AFTER AN ACCIDENT. THIS LOCKING SYSTEM FAILURE ALSO DISABLES THE EXTERNAL DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE TO OPEN THE AFFECTED DOOR THEREBY MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO ASSIST THOSE INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR VEHICLE HAS A RECALL THAT ADDRESSES LOSS OF FUEL TANK INTEGRITY FOLLOWING A REAR END COLLISION. IF THE LOSS OF FUEL TANK INTEGRITY RESULTED IN A FIRE THE FAILURE OF THE DOOR LOCK SYSTEM TO PREVENT OCCUPANTS EXITING THE VEHICLE COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. *TR