Auto safety regulators began a defect investigation into the latest model of the Jeep Cherokee sport-utility vehicle after an owner reported 20-foot flames shot out of its engine compartment after being parked.
The probe covers 50,415 vehicles from the 2015 model year made by the U.S. unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCAU), according to documents posted online Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington. Opening an investigation based on a single complaint isn’t unusual if NHTSA believes the alleged defect is especially dangerous.
