NHTSA Complaint #10400488 — 2009 JEEP WRANGLER

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55-60 MPH MY JEEP HAS STARTED TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AND SHUDDER AFTER HITTING A BUMP. IT WILL ONLY STOP SHAKING AFTER PULLING OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SLOWING DOWN TO 15-20 MPH OR STOPPING ALL TOGETHER. THE DAY IT STARTED WE WERE TAKING A TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS AND IT HAPPENED 6 OR 7 TIMES IN LESS THAN 100 MILES. I WILL BE TAKING IT IN TO THE DEALER IN THE MORNING, BUT AFTER A QUICK SEARCH OF THE NHTSA DATABASE IT SEEM THIS HAS BEEN A REGULAR OCCURRENCE AND RECURRENCE WITH JEEPS FOR MANY YEARS. LUCKILY WE WERE ON A SECONDARY HIGHWAY WHEN THIS OCCURRED AND NOT ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE AT 70-75 MPH (YET). THE WIFE IS NOW TERRIFIED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND I'M NOT TO COMFORTABLE WITH IT AT THIS POINT. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE WE'RE BEING STATIONED OVERSEAS AND PLANNED ON LETTING OUR SON IN COLLEGE USE THE VEHICLE WHICH DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A GREAT OPTION AT THIS POINT. WE'VE ALSO NOTICED, FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS, THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION WILL JUMP OUT OF 1ST GEAR WHEN TAKING OFF. I LOOKED FORWARD TO OWNING A JEEP 4-DOOR FOR SOME TIME AND THIS IS RATHER DISAPPOINTING AND I WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN CONSIDERED BUYING IT IF I HAD BEEN TOLD THIS WOULD HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY WITH LESS THAN 20,000 MILES ON IT, NONE OF WHICH ARE OFF-ROADING MILES. I BELIEVE JEEP SHOULD HAVE TO WARN IT'S POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS IF THEY DO NOT WANT TO BOTHER FIXING AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW AND SHOULD HAVE TO REMOVE ALL THEIR "TRAIL RATED" BADGES FROM ALL VEHICLES. IT'S NO WONDER CHRYSLER IS HAVING FINANCIAL TROUBLES SINCE THEY CAN'T MAKE A 4X4 THAT CAN HANDLE A BUMP.