Ford Motor, Chrysler recall vehicles

A ''Sold'' tag sits on the windshield of a Jeep Wrangler at Grava Chrysler Jeep and Dodge dealership in Medford, Massachusetts January 5, 2010.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co is recalling 33,700 of its Transit Connect small commercial vans over an interior liner while Chrysler Group said it was recalling certain 2010 SUVs and trucks over a possible brake fluid leak.

Ford is recalling the Transit Connect vehicles sold in the United States and manufactured from December 2008 through May of this year due to an interior liner that fails to meet all safety requirements for head protection.

"In the event of a vehicle crash, an occupant could be at increased risk of injury," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday in a letter to Ford.

Ford said in correspondence to NHTSA that it would tell dealers to stop delivering affected vehicles until revised head protection is installed. It would notify current owners about repairs.

Separately, Chrysler is recalling certain 2010 Jeep Liberty and Wrangler, Dodge Nitro and Ram 1500 trucks made in the United States that may have been built with an improperly formed tube that could cause brake fluid to leak.

Chrysler is halting sales of the affected vehicles, made in April and May of this year, until the problem covering up to 22,000 vehicles is fixed, the company said in a letter to regulators.

Chrysler, which emerged from a U.S. government-financed bankruptcy last year under the management of Italy's Fiat SpA, will formally notify dealers and vehicle owners next month.

(Reporting by John Crawley; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)