— Three Chrysler Town & Country fires caused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an investigation in August 2020, an investigation which has now been closed based on a lack of evidence.
NHTSA opened the investigation based on alleged fires that occurred at the charge hubs in 2014 Chrysler Town and Country minivans.
Safety regulators expanded the investigation to include more Town & Country model years as well as Dodge Grand Caravans because they were built on the same platform.
NHTSA found a 2014 Chrysler Town & Country on a salvage website and the minivan appeared to have suffered from a fire at the charge hub, which is the power and communication port for the entertainment system and other personal devices.
The government purchased the minivan from the salvage company in an effort to determine what caused the damage. Investigators with Chrysler and NHTSA conducted the inspection but could find the cause of the fire.
Parts were collected from the field but no common cause of the fires was found, including inspecting the hubs if they could be affected by liquids that could have entered the Town & Country charge hubs and caused electrical short circuits.
Even intentionally shorting out the charge hub with a wire didn't create a flame or fire.
According to NHTSA, the Chrysler Town & Country fire investigation is closed based on the low rate of fires at the charge hubs. Additionally, there have been no reports of serious injuries, crashes or deaths.
Even though no common failure mode was found, NHTSA says it will take action if the evidence changes.
