— Federal safety regulators have upgraded and expanded an investigation into headliner fires in model year 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokees.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first opened the investigation after receiving reports of fires occurring in the sun visor and headliner areas of the SUV.
At that time, the investigation focused on about 146,000 model year 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokees. However, safety regulators have now upgraded and expanded the investigation to include the Dodge Durango, which is manufactured with the same headliner assembly.
The investigation now includes about 593,000 model year 2011-2013 Cherokees and Durangos.
Customers say they experience everything from minor overheating to visible flames on the headliner or sun visor material. In some cases, fire spread to the front seats or door panels of the SUV. In one complaint, the sunroof was damaged causing the glass to shatter.
Chrysler believes the problem has possibly caused 52 fires and three injuries.
Investigators believe screws used to attach the sun visors to the roof can damage wiring that goes to lights on the sun visor. The screws can cause an electrical short in the wiring and spark a fire.
The upgraded and expanded investigation is the final step before a possible recall.
