These days most people assume that if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identifies a vehicle defect, a recall will be ordered. But the better assumption may be, when a safety defect is identified.
This week the agency concluded an investigation into stalling problems in older Chrysler and Dodge minivans, and despite confirming the existence of the condition, NHTSA did not order a recall. The reason? That the defect would not likely lead to crashes.
No crashes or injuries related to this issue have been reported, NHTSA said in a posting on its website. Saying that “the failure rate is low,” the agency reported that the stalling may occur in the 2003-2007 Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & County and Chrysler Voyager minivans only “immediately after filling up the fuel tank and at low engine speeds.”
The Reuters news agency reports that Fiat Chrysler and NHTSA received more than 700 complaints, including from some drivers who said their minivans stalled during turns. A petition by an owner of a Dodge Caravan asked for the investigation last summer.
The NHTSA further explained its no-recall position on the matter by saying, “given the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA’s limited resources to best accomplish the agency’s safety mission, the petition is denied.” So, really, what was found was not the absence of a defect, but rather the absence of a defect that had a meaningful effect on safety, and therefore one not worth further effort.
With this decision Fiat Chrysler has avoided the possibility of a recall of up to 1.86 million minivans from the affected model years, and NHTSA has underscored the fact that they are concerned with significant safety defects, not all defects. But what may remain true is that your minivan may stall as you exit the gas station.