NHTSA Complaint #10440485 — 2006 JEEP COMMANDER

THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR LATCH OF OUR 2006 JEEP COMMANDER 4X4 SUFFERED A FAILURE CAUSING THE DOOR TO NOT BE ABLE TO BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CAR POSING A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK. THE DOOR LATCH IS A PLASTIC PULL WHICH IS PART OF THE ONE-PIECE MOLDED PLASTIC DOOR PANEL. THE PLASTIC BEHIND OUR DOOR LATCH STARTED TO CRACK OVER TIME AND UPON A FAMILY MEMBER CLOSING THE DOOR AND THE DOOR PANEL COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL'S LEG, THE DOOR LATCH COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE DOOR PANEL CAUSING IT TO FLOAT INSIDE THE DOOR CAVITY. THE DOOR LATCH THEN FELL APART AND THE ONLY WAY TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR IS TO REACH INSIDE THE HOLE IN THE CAVITY TO FIND WHAT THE DOOR LATCH WAS ATTACHED TO. HAVING THE DOOR LATCH ONLY SECURED TO THIN MOLDED PLASTIC OF THE DOOR PANEL IS A DESIGN WHICH LED TO OUR SAFETY FAILURE AND WE ARE NOT THE ONLY INDIVIDUALS WITH THIS ISSUE. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE, THERE ARE DOZENS OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HAD ONE IF NOT MULTIPLE DOOR LATCH FAILURES IN EARLY 2006 JEEP COMMANDERS CAUSING A SAFETY RISK. THE ISSUES OCCURS AT VARIOUS MILEAGE POINTS AND OFTEN WITH LITTLE TO NO WEAR/TEAR AND IT APPEARS DEALERSHIPS ARE NOT CONSISTENTLY REPLACING THESE PARTS UNDER WARRANTY. ONE EXAMPLE OF MULTIPLE PEOPLE THAT HAVE THIS ISSUE CAN BE FOUND ON THE FOUR PAGES OF COMMENTS HERE: HTTP://WWW.JEEPCOMMANDER.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=656 AS THE DOOR PANELS AND DOOR LATCH APPEARS TO BE EITHER POORLY ENGINEERED OR POORLY MANUFACTURERED LEADING TO A SAFETY RISK, WE WANTED TO SUBMIT THIS COMPLAINT FORM IN HOPES THAT THIS SAFETY ISSUE WILL BE ADDRESSED, POSSIBLY AS A RECALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR