NHTSA Complaint #10418911 — 2006 JEEP COMMANDER

IN 2009, THREE YEARS AFTER WE PURCHASED OUR JEEP COMMANDER, THREE OF THE PLASTIC INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES ON THE VEHICLE BROKE, MAKING IT DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE VEHICLE DOORS FROM THE INSIDE. THIS IS A VERY WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM AMONG OWNERS AND DEALERS FOR 2006 AND 2007 MODELS, AND NOT SURPRISINGLY BECAUSE THE HOUSING AND HINGE ARE MADE ENTIRELY OF PLASTIC, AND ARE VERY BRITTLE. AFTER A FEW YEARS OF USE THE PLASTIC STARTS TO CRACK AND THEN BREAK AWAY, AND THE INNER HANDLE WILL NOT FUNCTION. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IN TROPICAL CLIMATES. THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY FIX, BUT UNFORTUNATELY IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE HANDLE YOU NEED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DOOR PANEL. IN PUERTO RICO, THE COST OF THE DRIVER'S PANEL IS $747, PLUS THEY CHARGE YOU TWO HOURS OF LABOR TO INSTALL THE NEW PANEL. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS IS A LEGITIMATE SAFETY ISSUED, CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE DESIGN. APPARENTLY CHRYSLER AGREES, BECAUSE IN 2008 THEY CHANGED THE INTERIOR HANDLE DESIGN. HOWEVER, THOSE OF US WITH 2006 OR 2007 MODELS ARE LEFT WITH EITHER AN EXISTING OR EXPECTED HAZARD. EVEN IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO INVEST INTO REPLACING THESE PANELS, THE FLIMSY DESIGN WILL NOT HOLD UP, AND YOU CAN EXPECT THAT AT ANY MOMENT THE NEW HANDLES WILL BREAK AGAIN. THE DEFECTIVE DESIGN OF THESE HANDLES MAKES THEM PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING DAMAGED OR BROKEN IN AN ACCIDENT OR EMERGENCY SITUATION. IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THAT CHRYSLER HAS NOT RECALLED THEM, GIVEN THE INORDINATE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS WITH THIS PRECISE PART.