Auto Group Wants Federal Probe for Chrysler Vehicles That Stall

Aug 23, 2014 11:49 AM EDT | Jordan Ecarma

An auto advocacy nonprofit has requested that federal regulators examine dangerous issues in Chrysler vehicles that can reportedly cause them to stall.

The Center for Auto Safety says it has received more than 70 complaints about electrical power modules in millions of Chrysler vehicles, while the government has received hundreds, the Associated Press reported.

Models that purportedly have the issue include Ram pickup trucks, Chrysler and Dodge minivans, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango and Dodge Journey SUVs, the Jeep Wrangler and other vehicles.

The advocacy group filed a petition on Friday to ask the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to launch a probe into Chrysler's ''Totally Integrated Power Module,'' which provides electrical power for the entire vehicle.

According to a New York Times report, at least 240 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep owners have reported electrical problems to the NHTSA that include stalled vehicles, headlights that turn off at night and vehicles that won't start.

"My wife would literally walk outside, and the windows would be rolled down, and the blower motor would be on, and the radio would be on, but there was no key in the ignition, no key fob anywhere near the vehicle," Dodge Journey owner Jeff Marlow of Broken Arrow, Okla., told the Times in a phone interview.

Owners that report issues have said that Chrysler dealers require at least $1,000 for power module repairs to vehicles that are not under warranty.

"Vehicle power shuts down while driving at highway speed in any and all driving conditions," the owner of a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee reported to the NHTSA this month, as quoted by the Times. "There is no warning when power goes out. Driver can be stranded in the middle of freeway or off-ramp or busy intersection. Extremely dangerous. Worse than G.M. issue."

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