The Chevrolet Cruze is linked to a series of unexplained fires that occurred without warning.
Federal regulators have launched separate investigations into reports of fires affecting two separate Detroit product lines: the Chevrolet Cruze sedan and the Jeep Wrangler sport-utility vehicle.
The government’s concerns about the reports were apparently serious enough for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take the unusual step of announcing the two investigations on Sunday.
General Motors says it has received 19 warranty claims involving Cruze fires. NHTSA, in turn, has been notified of at least two fires that occurred while the compact sedan was being driven. Both vehicles were destroyed.
At least seven of eight fires reportedly involving the 2010 Jeep Wrangler, meanwhile, occurred while the vehicle was being driven. Owners report that various vehicle systems failed immediately before they began seeing smoke and flames.
Jeep Wrangler also comes under investigation.
In one instance reported on the NHTSA website, a Wrangler was parked but running when the engine suddenly quit. The owner was trying to restart the vehicle when he heard observers yelling that the Jeep was on fire.
“Once out of the Jeep I looked under it and saw an unknown liquid burning down to the ground from the engine area,” the owner stated in a report to NHTSA. Despite efforts to douse the flames, he said the vehicle “was a total loss.”
Chrysler officials confirm they have been advised of the fires and are investigating. They have received no reports of crashes, injuries or fatalities connected to the fires.
GM officials say they are also cooperating with the federal safety agency in its investigation. The maker sold 177,000 Chevrolet Cruze sedans in 2011, making it one of the most popular models in the U.S. compact passenger car market. It is also the most popular Chevy model worldwide.
In a separate posting, a Cruze owner reported that there were no vehicle warnings until after the fire began – which “totally engulfed (the car) within five minutes.”
There does not appear to be any immediately discernible connection between the Cruze and Wrangler fires, according to industry sources.
The problem with Chevy comes at a troubling time. The maker only recently was cleared by NHTSA after the agency began a preliminary investigation of several fires involving the battery packs in the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. It was eventually determined that the fires – which each occurred in the weeks following government crash tests — were the result of improper post-test procedures. Nonetheless, GM has since modified the battery pack in the Volt to reduce the likelihood of such fires.
NHTSA is also investigating vehicle fire problems involving several other manufacturers including Toyota, which was the target of a number of consumer complaints involving potentially defective switches in the driver-side doors of 2007 Camry and RAV-4 models.