NHTSA Complaint #10197623 — 2007 JEEP WRANGLER 4-DR 4X4

MY FAMILY AND I WERE DRIVING UP AN OFF ROAD TRAIL OUT OF TELLURIDE, COLORADO, WHEN THE JEEP SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER, MANY DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATED THE VEHICLE ACTED LIKE THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THE ENGINE, HOWEVER, WAS STILL IDLING AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 RPM'S, HOWEVER WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED, THE RPM'S WOULD NOT RISE, THE ENGINE'S RPMS WOULD NOT AUDIBLY INCREASE AND NO POWER WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE WHEELS. THIS CAUSED THE JEEP TO CEASE ANY FORWARD MOVEMENT AND FORCE ME TO ROLL BACKWARD TO A SMALL PULL OUT ON THE SINGLE LANE, MOUNTAIN-SIDE ROAD. I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE WITH THE KEYED IGNITION, WAITED APPROXIMATELY 2 MINTUTES AND RESTARTED THE JEEP. UPON RESTART, THE JEEP REGAINED ALL NORMAL FUNCTION, ALL OF THE DASH LIGHTS WHICH HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY ILLUMINATED (MINUS THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT) HAD SHUT OFF. THE JEEP WAS TURNED AROUND EVENTUALLY AND DRIVEN BACK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. HAD THIS FAILURE HAPPENED ON A DIFFERENT PASS--ONE MUCH STEEPER AND WITH NO CUTOUTS SUCH AS "BLACK BEAR PASS" (WHICH IS NEARBY AND WHERE WERE HEADING), THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. IT IS THIS AUTHOR'S OPINION THIS "STALL BUG", AT LEAST ON MY VEHICLE, IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE TRANSFER CASE AND/OR TRANSMISSION HEATING UP. THIS IS ATTRIBUTED TO THESE FACTS: A SMELL WAS NOTICED JUST A SHORT TIME BEFORE THE ENGINE QUIT. THE TRANSFER CASE WAS IN "4HI" (FOUR WHEEL DRIVE - HIGH RANGE) PRIOR TO THE ENGINE QUITTING. AFTER THE ENGINE STALLED, THE TRANSFER CASE WAS PUT IN "4LO" (FOUR WHEEL DRIVE - LOW RANGE) AND THE PROBLEMS CEASED. SINCE THIS STALL, ALL OFF ROAD EXCURSIONS HAVE BEEN IN "4LO" AND THE STALL BUG HAS NOT RE-APPEARED, DESPITE THE FACT THAT STEEPER HILLS IN MORE INHOSPITABLE TERRAIN IN THE SAME WEATHER HAVE BEEN DRIVEN OVER WITH NO REPEAT OF THE STALL BUG. FURTHER, THE DISTINCT SMELL WHICH WAS NOTICED JUST PRIOR TO THE STALL BUG OCCURING HAS NOT BEEN NOTICED SINCE THEN (WHEN UTILIZING 4LO). *TR