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DaimlerChrysler Develops Trunk Release Mechanism

9 June 1999

DaimlerChrysler Develops Trunk Release Mechanism

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 8 -- A dealer-installed kit that
allows a person trapped inside a car trunk to escape will be available for
installation on DaimlerChrysler cars later this month.
    The trunk-escape device allows children or adults to open a locked trunk
from inside by turning an illuminated yellow handle.  It is intended to
prevent entrapments like those that resulted in the deaths of 11 children from
heat stroke last summer.
    After those deaths, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) asked the National SAFE KIDS Campaign to convene an Expert Panel on
Trunk Entrapment.  During a news conference today at the National Press
Club, the panel released recommendations calling for automakers to:

    *  Offer trunk release devices that can be installed on existing vehicles
       by the summer of 2000.
    *  Include trunk safety features as standard equipment on all new vehicles
       by Jan. 1, 2001.

    DaimlerChrysler will have the after-market kit available for most Dodge,
Chrysler and Plymouth vehicles later this month -- one year ahead of the
expert panel's suggested timing.  A release mechanism is also being developed
for Mercedes Benz vehicles.  Jeep(R) vehicles and others without trunks are
not affected.
    DaimlerChrysler is developing a plan to include the safety feature on new
vehicles by 2001.
    "DaimlerChrysler is committed to making its vehicles as safe as possible.
We fully support NHTSA and the expert panel in their effort to prevent serious
injuries and deaths caused by trunk entrapment," said Susan Cischke, Vice
President of Safety Affairs at DaimlerChrysler.
    "Trunk entrapment rarely occurs, but when it does the results can be
devastating -- as the nation learned from the tragic deaths last summer,"
Cischke said.  "We've worked hard at DaimlerChrysler to make a trunk-escape
device available to our customers as soon as possible.
    "We also will be adding warnings to our owner manuals and other
educational materials emphasizing the importance of keeping children away from
trunks," Cischke said.  "As the panel points out, educating parents about the
dangers of playing in or near cars is critically important."
    By late-June, Dodge, Chrysler/Plymouth dealerships will be supplied with
"trunk safety kits" they can install on most current passenger car models.
The kit includes a new trunk latch and a small yellow handle.  The handle is
mounted inside the trunk lid and connected to the latch by a cable.  With a
gentle turn, the handle releases the latch and opens the trunk.  The device
was designed to be operable by a 3-year-old child.
    The trunk-escape device, designed to fit a child's hand but also
accommodate an adult, is wired to the vehicle's electric system.  Each time
the trunk closes a soft light is activated to illuminate the escape handle for
one hour, so it would be seen easily by someone who is trapped.
    "The device is designed to be easy to see and easy to use -- and intuitive
to use for even small children," Cischke said.  DaimlerChrysler owners can
call their dealerships for an appointment to have the trunk escape kit
installed.  It will cost about $50, installed.