NHTSA To Review 4.9 Million Chrysler Vehicles For A Shitload Of Problems

Stalling. Fires. Fuel pump shutoff. The horn honking itself. These are just some of the problems Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram owners say they have experienced thanks to a faulty totally integrated power module, and now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says they're looking into it.

NHTSA officials said today that they will review a late August petition from the Center for Auto Safety that asked for an investigation into nearly 5 million Chrysler vehicles from 2007 to 2012. NHTSA could grant or deny their request for an investigation.

The watchdog group cites 70 complaints supposedly related to power module failures and notes that a class action lawsuit has also been filed over the issue. NHTSA's own database lists 122 complaints over the part, and a recent New York Times investigation counted 240.

And after we ran a story about the Center for Auto Safety's report in August, a number of our readers chimed in to say they also had weird problems with their Chrysler vehicles tied to the power module.

From Reuters:

The Center for Auto Safety's petition included a list of 70 complaints it had received, according to the NHTSA documents. The NHTSA said its review would focus on the Totally Integrated Power Module 7.

Of the 63 complaints about that specific part, 51 cited engine stalls or not starting, while three reported smoke or fire, according to the NHTSA documents. In a supplement to its letter, the Center for Auto Safety identified 24 crashes from NHTSA's Early Warning Reporting database that it believes are related to the failure of a totally integrated power module.

NHTSA did not announce a timetable for their review, but an investigation could lead to a recall. Earlier this month Chrysler recalled nearly 200,000 SUVs in the U.S. over an issue with the fuel pump relay circuit inside the power module.

Yeah, it's looking like this could be a thing.