NHTSA Complaint #10019196 — 1999 JEEP CHEROKEE

I TOOK MY 1999 JEEP CHEROKEE TO A JEEP DEALERSHIP TO DETERMINE A PROBLEM I WAS HAVING WITH THE GAS GAUGE FAILING TO REGISTER HOW MUCH GAS I HAD IN MY TANK. I WAS CHARGED $55.00 JUST TO DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT I HAD A DEFECTIVE FLOTATION SENSOR IN THE GAS TANK. THE PART IS GOING TO COST $124.00, NOT INCLUDING LABOR. I EXPECT THE REPAIR BILL FOR THIS PROBLEM TO BE AT LEAST $200.00, NOT COUNTING THE $55.00 I'VE ALREADY PAID JUST TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THE JEEP HAS LESS THAN 52,000 MILES ON IT, SO I FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING THIS SOON. I'VE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM IN LATE MODEL JEEP CHEROKEES, YET THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PUT ON A RECALL LIST (AT LEAST, MINE ISN'T ON A RECALL LIST). I CONTACTED THE JEEP (DAIMLER/CHRYSLER) HEADQUARTERS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS, AND THEY DECLINED. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I FEEL I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THIS PART REPLACED, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH JEEP CHEROKEES. PLUS, THIS VEHICLE HAS TOO LOW OF A MILEAGE TO BE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM.