NHTSA Complaint #10282252 — 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

IN THE FALL OF 2008, MY SON AND MY WIFE EXITED THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND CLOSED THEIR DOORS. WITHIN A SECOND OR TWO, BOTH OF THEM HEARD A BANG BUT SAW NOTHING WRONG, AS THEY WERE BOTH AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND UNABLE TO SEE THEIR SIDE WINDOWS. AFTER RETURNING TO THE VEHICLE, MY SON NOTICED HIS WINDOW WAS NOT UP AS HE HAD LEFT IT. HE WAS UNABLE TO RAISE THE WINDOW NORMALLY SO A COLD TRIP HOME FOLLOWED. A QUICK INVESTIGATION REVEALED A FAILED WINDOW REGULATOR. SINCE I WAS NOT GOING TO PAY SOMEONE A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT TO REPLACE THE PART, I DID IT MYSELF AFTER FINDING A WINDOW REGULATOR AT A LOCAL PARTS STORE. SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT OPERATING WHEN THE FAILURE OF THE WINDOW REGULATOR OCCURRED, SAFETY WAS NOT AN ISSUE RELATIVE TO OPERATION. HOWEVER, SINCE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETECTED AT THE TIME, OR IF IT HAD HAPPENED AFTER WALKING AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE RELATIVE TO AN UNSECURED VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS OPEN TO ANYONE OR ANYTHING WANTING TO ENTER IT. IT ALSO CREATED A POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER DAMAGE FROM INCLEMENT WEATHER. IN AUGUST 2009, THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS HAD BEEN LOWERED TO HELP COOL THE INSIDE PRIOR TO DRIVING. WHEN THE WINDOWS WERE RAISED, ONLY THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW RESPONDED. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT RAISE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN HOME WHERE I REPLACED THE WINDOW REGULATOR. THE SAME PART FAILED IN BOTH INSTANCES. THIS PART IS OBVIOUSLY INSUFFICIENT FOR ITS PURPOSE. A FAILURE OF THE WINDOW REGULATOR AND SUBSEQUENT DROPPING WINDOW COULD EASILY CAUSE ENOUGH DISTRACTION TO INITIATE A MOVING INCIDENT. WHOEVER OWNS THE JEEP TRADEMARK THESE DAYS NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL BEFORE THERE IS AN ACCIDENT, A DRIVER RETURNS TO A RANSACKED VEHICLE OR WORSE, THERE IS A CAR JACKING BY AN UNKNOWN AND UNINVITED PASSENGER. *TR