The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has opened two new investigations into over 1.2 million Chrysler vehicles over ignition key complaints on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
The safety agency on Wednesday said the Chrysler probes resulted from NHTSA's recent "communication with automotive manufacturers and suppliers regarding airbag design and performance related to the position of the vehicle ignition switch," Reuters reported.
The agency started looking into problems with air bag deployments after similar ignition switch problems in General Motors, Reuters reported. GM has recalled 2.6 million vehicles cars with defective ignition switches with 13 deaths due to the defective switches.
NHTSA said it has received at least 32 complaints from Chrysler drivers who reported that the ignition switch of their 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and 2005-2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles turned off after they accidentally hit it with their knees, according to Reuters. NHTSA said there have been no reports of injuries or deaths related to the Chrysler investigation,
The second investigation is related to Chrysler's 2011 voluntary recall of 2010 Dodge Journey, Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country vehicles for a similar issue, Reuters reported.
Some owners said they still had the problem even after the recall fix was made and NHTSA said it also received complaints from owners of 2008-2009 models who said they may have the same ignition switch problem as the 2010 models, according to Reuters.
In a statement, Chrysler of Auburn Hills, Michigan, said it is awaiting more information from NHTSA and "is prepared to cooperate fully with the investigation," Reuters reported.
NHTSA, which administers safety recalls, continues to investigate similar issues at GM, which this year has recalled more than 20 million vehicles worldwide, including 6.5 million for switch-related issues that could disable airbags in crashes, according to Reuters.
