Complaint sparks probe of minivan stalling issue

DETROIT - A man's complaint that his Chrysler minivan stalled unexpectedly after refueling has brought an inquiry from U.S. safety regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will look into the problem that could affect 160,000 Dodge Grand Caravan minivans from 2007 and other model years, the agency said in documents posted on its website Tuesday.

The agency says it will study how often the problem happens and whether it occurs in other similarly equipped minivans. The inquiry will determine if a formal investigation should be started. No crashes or injuries have been reported, according to the documents.

In his complaint, the man told the agency the van with 44,000 miles on it has begun stalling after the gas tank is completely filled. The van stalled on his wife while she was driving with children on a freeway, the complaint said. "The danger was that she was on a turn and the steering wheel became impossible for her to turn," the man wrote in his complaint. He cited eight complaints to NHTSA of similar problems from other drivers.

NHTSA does not identify people who file complaints.

Chrysler engineers will work with NHTSA on the probe, the company said in a statement Tuesday.