NHTSA Complaint #10165620 — 2001 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

BRAKES STARTED SMOKING AND STICKING 5.5 HOURS AWAY FROM HOME WHILE GOING ON VACATION. WENT TO BRAKE REPAIR PLACE AND THEY DETERMINED CALIPERS WERE STICKING. COULDN'T GET A RENTAL CAR, JEEP DEALERSHIP WOULDN'T GIVE US A RENTAL CAR. CALIPERS ARE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. PROCEEDED ON TO VACATION DESTINATION W/BRAKES STILL NOT FIXED. CALLED THE LOCAL JEEP DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULDN'T EVEN LOOK AT THE JEEP UNTIL A WEEK AND A HALF LATER, AND WE'D BE BACK HOME BY THEN. HAD JEEP TOWED TO A JEEP DEALERSHIP FURTHER AWAY AND IT TOOK SOME CONVINCING ON OUR PART TO GET DAIMLER CHRYSLER TO PAY FOR THE TOW TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT WAS FURTHER AWAY. THAT JEEP DEALERSHIP HAD THE CALIPERS SENT TO THEM, BUT THEY GOT LOST IN THE MAIL AND THEY COULDN'T REPAIR THE CALIPERS. THEY HAD THE JEEP THE WHOLE WEEK WE WERE ON VACATION. WHY DIDN'T THEY (A) HAVE CALIPERS IN STOCK AND (B) OVERNIGHT THE CALIPERS SO THEY COULD BE SURE THEY GOT THEM? HAD TO DRIVE BACK HOME FOR OVER NINE HOURS WITH BRAKES AND CALIPERS STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY. HAD JEEP TOWED TO OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED 3 CALIPERS, BRAKE LINES AND BRAKE PADS. THE CALIPERS WERE COVERED UNDER OUR WARRANTY, BUT BRAKES PADS AND EVERYTHING ELSE WASN'T AND WE HAD TO PAY OVER $500 FOR THOSE TO BE REPLACED. I BELIEVE DAIMLER CHRYSLER SHOULD NOT HAVE CHARGED US FOR REPLACING ANYTHING BECAUSE THE CALIPERS CAUSED THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS TO FAIL. I ALSO THINK SINCE THE DEALERSHIP COULDN'T REPAIR THE CALIPERS THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD THE JEEP TOWED TO OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND GIVEN US A RENTAL CAR TO GET HOME. JEEP ONLY HAD 46,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENED. *NM