NHTSA Complaint #10455727 — 2005 JEEP LIBERTY

MY JEEP RECENTLY WAS UNABLE TO START THE ENGINE. IT WAS FINE JUST THE NIGHT BEFORE WITH NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM, BUT IN THE MORNING I TURNED THE KEY AND ALL I GOT WAS A CLICK AT THE RELAY; THE STARTER NEVER ENGAGED AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. AFTER MUCH DIAGNOSIS IT WAS DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE END BREAKING OFF OF A SMALL METAL CYLINDER WHICH ROTATES TO ENGAGE THE STARTER; THE CYLINDER IS LOCATED ON THE LEFT UNDERSIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN. I WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE CYLINDER, NOR THE HOUSING CONTAINING THE CYLINDER, IS SOLD AS A SEPARATE PART... I WAS FORCED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY TO THE TUNE OF $300 (THE LABOR WAS ANOTHER $200, AND A NEW IGNITION CYLINDER AN ADDITIONAL $30), TO FIX THIS ONE SMALL PART THAT PROBABLY COST ABOUT $5 TO MAKE. IN MY RESEARCH ONLINE, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON, WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM WITH JEEPS, WITH MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ON FORUMS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. THE ONLY ACTION I KNEW TO TAKE WAS TO FILE A COMPLAINT HERE TO HOPEFULLY INITIATE A RECALL OF THIS PART SO THAT IT EITHER A) IS REPLACED WITH A PART MADE OF BETTER MATERIAL SO AS TO STOP SO MANY FROM BREAKING, AND B) STOPS LEAVING PEOPLE STRANDED WITH A NON-WORKING VEHICLE WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. *JS