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Court Orders Marchionne Deposed in Jeep Fire Lawsuit
A judge in Georgia has requested Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV CEO Sergio Marchionne to give a videotaped deposition in a lawsuit involving a toddler killed in a fiery Jeep Grand Cherokee crash two years ago.
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A judge in Georgia has requested Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV CEO Sergio Marchionne to give a videotaped deposition in a lawsuit involving a toddler killed in a fiery Jeep Grand Cherokee crash two years ago.
The 4-year-old child died after the 1999 model Jeep in which he was riding was struck from behind and caught fire. The vehicle was among 2.7 million Jeeps that Chrysler was told last year to recall.
In a rare challenge to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Chrysler refused to launch the recall. The company insisted the SUVs met all government standards. It also noted that many of the 51 fire-related fatalities occurred after high-speed impacts well above NHTSA's safety performance criteria.
The affected Jeeps were designed with their fuel tanks positioned between the rear axle and rear bumper. Most cars now locate the tank in a more fortified position above or forward of the rear axle.
Chrysler eventually agreed to recall about 1.6 million of the originally targeted Jeeps and fit them with rear trailer hitches to provide additional shielding for the fuel tank.
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