NHTSA Complaint #10203222 — 2007 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING 2007 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE WITH CRD (COMMON RAIL DIESEL) ENGINE WITH ABOUT 4,000 MILES ON ODOMETER UNDER LIGHT LOAD IN LIGHT TRAFFIC WITH ABOUT 3/4 TANK OF FUEL ON A HILLY RURAL HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 50 MPH THE MIL ("CHECK ENGINE LIGHT") TURNED ON AND WITHIN A SECOND OR SO, IF NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE RED ERROR LIGHT INDICATING MALFUNCTION IN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM ILLUMINATED AND BEGAN FLASHING. DRIVER IMMEDIATELY SLOWED TO 30 TO 35 MPH, ACTIVATED EMERGENCY FLASHERS, AND CHANGED ROUTE TO RETURN VEHICLE HOME, AT THAT POINT ABOUT A 15 MILE TRIP ON A COMBINATION OF HILLY RURAL HIGHWAYS AND SUBURBAN ARTERIAL ROADS. ABOUT 10 MILES LATER WHILE CLIMBING A HILL IN A BLIND CURVE ON A RURAL HIGHWAY WITH NO SHOULDER IN MODERATE TRAFFIC AT ABOUT 35 MPH THE ENGINE STALLED BRINGING VEHICLE TO HALT. IN THE SHOULDERLESS BLIND CURVE THERE WAS NEITHER VISIBILITY NOR ROOM FOR FOLLOWING TRAFFIC TO PASS, THUS CREATING AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE BUT IT THEN SEEMED TO OPERATE IN "LIMP HOME MODE" AND DID NOT SEEM ABLE TO MOVE FASTER THAN ABOUT 20 TO 25 MPH BEFORE STALLING AGAIN. VEHICLE THEN STALLED REPEATEDLY IN THE LAST 5 OR SO MILES BACK TO HOME ON HILLY RURAL HIGHWAY IN MODERATE TRAFFIC, AND RESTARTING ATTEMPTS BECAME PROGRESSIVELY MORE DIFFICULT. BY THE TIME VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO OWNER'S PROPERTY THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START EXCEPT TO RUN FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE SHUTTING OFF, AND VEHICLE HAVING BECOME COMPLETELY UNDRIVEABLE THEN HAD TO BE PUSHED TO A SAFE PLACE TO AWAIT TOW TO SELLING DEALER FOR SERVICE. DRIVER CONTACTED SELLING DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO REPORT PROBLEM, AND SERVICE APPOINTMENT AND TOW TO SELLING DEALER ARE PENDING. *TR