NHTSA Complaint #10478226 — 2006 JEEP COMMANDER

STARTED THE CAR AT THE HOUSE AND DROVE 1 MILE TO THE GAS STATION. SHUT THE CAR OFF TO FILL THE TANK. TRIED TO RESTART AND IT WOULD NOT START UNTIL I PUSHED THE GAS IN. WHEN IT STARTED SMOKE POURED OUT THE BACK. TOOK IT ACROSS THE STREET TO A MECHANIC AND THEY SAID THE ENGINE WAS TRASHED. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE JEEP DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT. THEY SAID THE SAME THING THAT THE MOTOR WAS TRASHED. I PAID THE DODGE DEALER TO TEAR DOWN THE ENGINE SO I COULD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE VALVE IN THE 4TH CYLINDER HAD SLIPPED DOWN INTO THE MOTOR AND DESTROYED THE PISTON AND CYLINDER WALL. HAVE TO HAVE A NEW ENGINE INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE IS A 2006 JEEP COMMANDER WITH THE 5.7 HEMI AND ONLY HAS 77,000 MILES ON IT AND FROM WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED AND TALKING TO MECHANICS THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN. THIS PART SHOULD NOT FAIL IN THIS MANOR. HAVE GOTTEN NO RESPONSE FROM CHRYSLER AND AM TAKING ON THE COST OF THE REPAIR MYSELF. IF I WAS HARD ON THE MOTOR IT WOULD BE ONE THING BUT IT WAS ONLY DRIVEN TO WORK BY MY WIFE. WE ONLY PUT MAYBE 20,000 MILE ON IT SINCE WE BOUGHT IT. I AM AWARE THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED IN OTHER VEHICLES AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY WERE REPAIRED BY CHRYSLER, UNDER WARRANTY. I WILL BE INTO THIS VEHICLE ABOUT 40,000 DOLLARS AFTER THE NEW ENGINE IS INSTALLED AND I THINK CHRYSLER BARES PART OF THE BLAME AND SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN CONSIDERING THIS MATTER. *TR