NHTSA Complaint #10380534 — 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

WHILE DRIVING THE JEEP THE ENGINE WOULD JUST STOP RUNNING. IT WOULD USUALLY START AGAIN BY TURNING THE KEY BUT NOT ALWAYS. TOOK TO LOCAL JEEP DEALER & WAS TOLD IT WAS THE PCM PO351 WHICH I PAID TO REPLACE. AT 76800 MILES 02/17/2010 THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED & THE SAME DEALER SAID SOMETIMES THEY GET A BAD PCM & IT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE JEEP IS TOWED BEHIND A MOTOR HOME & AT 78558 MILES 08/30/10 THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED WHILE IN THE STATE OF WA. THE JEEP DEALER THERE SAID "FOUND COIL PRIMARY STORED IN PCM" SO I PAID FOR A COIL/IGNITION 8035004 REPLACEMENT. WHILE STILL IN WA & APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES LATER THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AGAIN JUST AS IT DID BEFORE. I DECIDED TO TOW IT BACK TO PHOENIX & NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE ON 01/03/2011 AT 79503 MILES STATED IN PART "FOUND ENGINE WOULD STUMBLE & CODE PO351 WOULD SET WHEN IGNITION COIL HARNESS CONNECTOR IS TAMPERED WITH. REPLACE CONNECTOR. WIGGLE CONNECTOR AT PCM CAN CAUSE STUMBLE. INTERNAL DEFECT CAUSING SHUTOFF. PCM STILL UNDER WARRANTY. PART ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER" CHECKING THE INTERNET FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS SHOWS THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRING NUMEROUS TIMES GOING BACK MANY YEARS SO THIS IS NOT NEW A PROBLEM TO JEEP. HAVING THE ENGINE JUST QUIT RANDOMLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE & HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR TOO MANY YEARS AS EVIDENCED BY THE INTERNET INFORMATION. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 79729.. 01/31/2011 & NO PARTS AVAILABLE.