Dodge Viper probe closed by U.S. regulators

Federal safety regulators have ended a probe into 9,670 Dodge Vipers from the 2003-10 model years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Sunday said it had fielded eight reports of accidents stemming from rear suspension knuckle failures, but found no evidence that the parts had failed. The agency launched the investigation in April.

The force from the collisions apparently caused the failure of the rear suspension control knuckles, NHTSA said. Chrysler’s internal investigation reached the same conclusion, documents show.

“Examination and testing of failed knuckles have not identified evidence of a manufacturing or design defect in the parts,” the agency said in its report. “Accordingly, this investigation is closed.”

The Detroit News reported the end of the investigation on Sunday.