According to Chrysler spokesman Mike Palese, Jeep Grand Cherokees from 1993 through 2004 are perfectly safe and do not pose a fire risk in case of accident. According to the Center for Auto Safety, well ... not so much.

The group claims that several factors contribute to an increased fire hazard in case of accident in as many as 3 million affected vehicles from those model years. First, the location of the gas tank behind the rear axle is inherently dangerous during rear-end collisions; next, the bolt from a rear sway bar is too close to the tank, increasing puncture risk during collisions; and finally, the plastic tank itself degrades over time, making leaks more likely, and the fuel filler neck may be torn off in crashes.

To back up the claims that these factors give the specified Cherokees a crash-fire occurrence rate more than four times that of SUVs made by other companies, the Center for Auto Safety turned to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's own Fatality Accident Reporting System. Chrysler advocates say that FARS consists of raw accident data and may not report accurately what the true case of fatalities really was. In any case, the center is petitioning NHTSA to issue a recall of Jeeps they say are affected by the poor placement and materials. We'll keep you posted.