The defect
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Dodge Nitro 4X2 vehicles manufactured March 21, 2006, through March 1, 2008; and 2008 Jeep Liberty 4X2 vehicles manufactured February 15, 2007, through March 1, 2008. The transfer case heat shield may drop down and rub on the drive shaft, weakening it and potentially causing the drive shaft to break.
The risk
If the drive shaft breaks, a section of it can strike the transfer case tunnel with enough force that the airbag computer will believe the vehicle is in a crash and thus deploy the airbags. Additionally, the drive shaft failure will result in a loss of motive power. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will add a bracket to support the rear of the heat shield, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on May 29, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N10.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Dodge Nitro | 2007, 2008 |
| Jeep Liberty | 2008 |
Components: STRUCTURE | POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT | AIR BAGS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Nitro | 2007 | 494 | 7 |
| Dodge Nitro | 2008 | 393 | 3 |
| Jeep Liberty | 2008 | 541 | 4 |
Other structure recalls in 2013
25 of the 627 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2013 concerned the structure; Chrysler Group LLC filed 73 campaigns in all.
| 13V608000 4 Dec 2013 | Triumph Motorcycles America, LTD |
| 13V591000 22 Nov 2013 | Volvo Bus Corporation |
| 13V581000 20 Nov 2013 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 13V582000 20 Nov 2013 | Jet Company, Inc. |
| 13V559000 7 Nov 2013 | Starcraft RV, Inc. |
| 13V558000 7 Nov 2013 | Jayco, Inc. |
| 13V501000 17 Oct 2013 | Cheetah Chassis Corporation |
| 13V468000 18 Sept 2013 | Daimler Trucks North America |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2013