NHTSA Complaint #10186343 — 2007 JEEP LIBERTY

I PURCHASED A NEW 2007 JEEP LIBERTY ON MARCH 19, 2007 IT HAD UNDER 20 MILES ON IT. AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP THE JEEP OVERHEATED ABOUT 15 MILES LATER. I PULLED OVER, POPPED THE HOOD, AND SAW THAT THE COOLANT OVERFLOW TANK WAS BONE DRY. IT TOOK ABOUT 1 GALLON OF COOLANT TO FILL THE TANK. WITHIN MINUTES OF FILLING THE TANK I HEARD A GURGLING NOISE WHEN I WOULD MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN. I DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME, SINCE IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT AND PARKED IT. THE FOLLOWING MORNING I POPPED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THAT THE COOLANT LEVEL HAD DROPPED. THIS CONTINUED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY AND THE FOLLOWING DAY. TWO DAYS AFTER I PURCHASED THE JEEP, ON MARCH 21, 2007, I BROUGHT THE JEEP BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. UPON INSPECTION THEY FOUND COOLANT IN THE ENGINE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM. THEY TOOK THE ENGINE APART, AND FOUND NOT ONLY A BLOWN HEAD GASKET, BUT ALSO A DEFECTIVE ENGINE BLOCK. THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE ENTIRE ENGINE. THE ORIGINAL ENGINE WAS SEVERELY DEFECTIVE AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. DAIMLER CHRYSLER WILL NOT EXTEND MY WARRANTY OR OFFER ANY SATISFACTORY CUSTOMER SERVICE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. IN FACT, THEY WON'T EVEN DISCUSS IT WITH ME. THEY TOLD ME TO TALK TO THE DEALERSHIP. WHO ADVISED ME TO TALK TO CHRYSLER CORPORATION. I PUT A TOTAL OF 90 MILES ON A NEW VEHICLE IN 2 DAYS, AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT IN A WEEK DUE TO A FAILED ENGINE.*AK