Two of Chrysler's most popular models, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500, are under investigation for leaking power steering fluid and defective rear differentials, respectively. Two cases of vehicle fires have been reported on the Jeep and 12 complaints have been received on the Ram's rear differential failing. The differential failure causes the rear wheels to lock up and so far has been blamed for one crash and one incident of the fuel tank being punctured. In all, 106,803 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokees approximately 230,000 2009-2010 Ram 1500 models are under investigation.
This latest round of investigations follows NHTSA's investigation of 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees, 1993-2001 Jeep Cherokees, and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty models for a possible defective fuel tank. The combined production total of those vehicles comes to a staggering 5.1 million vehicles. However, with the investigation spanning a nearly 20-year timeframe, many of the vehicles are no longer be on the road.