NHTSA Complaint #10466121 — 2007 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

I WRITE THIS ONLY BECAUSE I JUST EXPERIENCE MY FOURTH MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN IN THREE YEARS. IN DECEMBER 2009, I EXPERIENCED THE FIRST BREAKDOWN IN WHAT HAS BECOME A STRING OF MALFUNCTIONS. THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2007 GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO GAVE OUT AT ABOUT 40,000 MILES. WHEN TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE, I GOT A 'TRANSMISSION OVERHEAT' MESSAGE ON THE DASH DISPLAY ALONG WITH THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT AND IT TOOK NEARLY A MONTH FOR THE REPAIR SHOP TO LOCATE, RECEIVE AND INSTALL THE NECESSARY PARTS. APPARENTLY SUPPLY AND DEMAND HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT, INDICATING TO ME THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE NATIONWIDE. A MONTH LATER, ANOTHER MALFUNCTION, THIS TIME, THE ELECTRONIC SHIFT MODULE (ESM) HAD DIED. JUST OVER A YEAR LATER, THE SAME COMPONENT (ESM) DIED AGAIN (OF COURSE JUST OUT OF WARRANTY), THIS TIME WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALONG RT. 50 OUTSIDE OF DC. NOW, LESS THAN SIX MONTHS LATER, WITH LESS THAN 40,000 ON THE ALREADY REPLACED TRANSMISSION, MY TRANSMISSION HAS BLOWN AGAIN - SAME 'TRANSMISSION OVERHEAT' MESSAGE, SAME ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT, SAME UNDRIVABILITY. CLEARLY FROM SEEING THE COMMENTS ON THIS FORUM AS WELL AS OTHER REPUTABLE SITES SUCH AS EDMUNDS AND CONSUMER REPORTS, THE 2007 GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO HAS A LONG, LONG HISTORY OF MECHANICAL AND ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS. I HAVE A PHONE CALL SCHEDULED WITH A CASE WORKER SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW, 7/13/2012. THEY'LL EITHER MAKE IT RIGHT OR I'LL BE TAKING MY STORY TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO'S HAD ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL TO DO THE SAME.