Feds Say Chrysler Moving Too Slowly On Year-Old Recall

DETROIT (AP) - The U.S. government's road safety agency says Chrysler is moving too slowly on a Jeep SUV recall announced last year.

The agency is asking the company why it's taking so long to recall as many as 2.5 million older Grand Cherokees and Libertys with gas tanks mounted behind the rear axles. The tanks could rupture in rear collisions, leak fuel and cause fires.

Last year Chrysler resisted a recall and said the vehicles were safe. But it later agreed to recall the Jeeps and install trailer hitches to protect the tanks in lower-speed collisions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Chrysler's production schedule for the hitches shows it would take 4.7 years to finish the recall, and that's too long.

Chrysler says it's working on a response.

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