PRESS RELEASE

Ralph Hoar Says 2.2 Million Dangerous Chrysler Minivans are Still on the Road

5 February 1997

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- More than 2.2 million Chrysler minivans
with faulty latches remain on the road almost two years after Chrysler said it
would replace them.  "Van owners don't understand the urgent need to get their
latches fixed because Chrysler has failed to clearly communicate how dangerous
these latches really are," according to Ralph Hoar, president of the
Arlington, Virginia product safety consulting firm that pressed Chrysler to
fix the latches.
    Hoar called on Chrysler "to beef up its Milquetoast communications by
providing broadcast media with NHTSA's crash tests showing dummies being
thrown from Chrysler minivans when the latches fail in moderate speed crashes.
That would add urgency to Chrysler's communications and remove confusion about
the severity of the hazard," he said.
    Chrysler's dismal replacement rate was revealed in the automaker's
quarterly report to NHTSA.  The most recent quarter ended December 31, 1996.
NHTSA has not yet made the report public.
    Chrysler first agreed to strengthen the latches in March 1995.  More than
40 people, mostly children, have been killed as a result of Chrysler minivan
latch failures.
    Ralph Hoar & Associates sued NHTSA under the Freedom of Information Act to
force release of the crash tests in 1995.  NHTSA has not made videos of the
crash tests easily available to the press since 1995, when it released the
videos in response to the RH&A suit.  It is not known whether Chrysler has
ever distributed copies of NHTSA's crash tests.  In the event broadcast
quality videos are not available from Chrysler or NHTSA, copies of the crash
tests and Chrysler's quarterly report are available from Ralph Hoar &
Associates at cost.

SOURCE  Ralph Hoar & Associates