NHTSA Complaint #10253629 — 1999 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

I HAVE A 1999 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE AND I NOTICED THAT MY A/C BLOWS MILDLY COLD AIR. I RECHARGED IT THINKING THAT IT NEEDED FREON BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE. THIS WINTER I NOTICED THAT MY HEAT WAS NOT AS HOT AS IT SHOULD BE. NEW ENGLAND WINTERS CAN GET INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND THE LACK OF HEAT CAN MAKE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD, MAKING VISIBILITY VERY POOR. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON THE WEB, I FOUND OUT THAT MY PROBLEM IS ALL TOO COMMON WITH JEEP CHEROKEE OWNERS. IT SEEMS THAT JEEPS HAVE FAULTY BLEND DOORS MADE OF CHEAP PLASTIC AND THEY ALMOST ALL BREAK. THE REPAIR REQUIRES REMOVAL OF MOST OF THE DASHBOARD AND CAN LEAD TO ESTIMATES LEADING ANYWHERE BETWEEN $1,000-$1,800. DAIMLER CHRYSLER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE FAULTY DEVICES AND FAILS TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY AND POST A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. *TR