Federal auto safety regulators are looking into reports that some Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs may be prone to gas tank fires.

AutoWeek reports, “Last month the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety complained that,” in Grand Cherokees from model years 1993 through 2004, “The SUV’s fuel tank extends below the rear bumper and is inadequately protected from crashes and rollovers.” The plastic tank is particularly vulnerable in rear-end collisions with smaller vehicles, the group says. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials are now “deciding whether enough evidence exists to support opening an investigation of the 3 million Jeeps whose models fall within the 11-year period.”

Autoblog adds, “The organization also notes that NHTSA's files reveal 1993-2004 Jeeps involved in 172 crashes with fires and 254 deaths.”  The Grand Cherokee was redesigned for the 2005 model year, and Autoblog notes, “just one post-'05 Cherokee has had a fatal fire incident.”

During the 2005 redesign, Automotive News reports, Jeep “moved the fuel tank and shielded it.”  Still, Jeep parent company Chrysler says it “is confident that a study which considered all factors in all collisions -- including rear collisions with fire -- would show that the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees perform as well as or better than other vehicles in their class”

Left Lane News notes, “Even if a defect is ultimately found, a recall could be a ways off as defect petitions can take up to several years to complete.

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