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ST. LOUIS, MO — Yesterday it was reported that the Waterway carwash chain was no longer allowing pre 2011 Jeep Cherokees to be washed at its locations due to safety concerns. A Waterway spokesperson said the national chain banned them after experiencing dangerous and costly incidents.
Today, according to a new KUSA-TV report, a spokesperson for Chrysler Group LLC has responded to the news.
Spokesperson Michael Palese said that other types of vehicles have been know to suddenly accelerate and Waterway is unfairly targeting Jeeps.
Carwash chain says 'no' to Jeep Grand Cherokees
"Actually this is an urban legend that was started up by the carwash association," Palese said in the story. "The International Carwash Association, some years ago, had it in their head that there was a problem with Jeep vehicles - and actually went on a little bit of a campaign trying to make this reputation stick."
Palese said the carwash environment is to blame.
SUA and the carwash industry
"Anyone who has been through a carwash knows that it's a very frenetic, very distracting environment. You've got employees who are hopping into the front seats of cars - squeegee bottles in their pockets - and rags in their hand, multi-tasking. Sometimes people get in the vehicle and they think that they're stepping on the brake, when they're in fact stepping on the gas. We think it's important that the car wash operators not absolve themselves of responsibility here. I think it's easy to blame the vehicle. In reality, what we have here is human error."
Waterway Spokesperson Mike Schlote declined a follow-up interview, but said they stand by their decision.
To read the full report, click here.
