NHTSA Complaint #10487364 — 1996 JEEP LAREDO

ENGINE STALLED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. CAR WILL BE OPERATING FINE, ENGINE TOTALLY CUTS OUT. NO POWER WHATSOEVER. I HAVE CHECKED ONLINE AND THIS HAS BEEN A FAIRLY REGULAR PROBLEM ON JEEPS OF THIS ERA (1996 - HAVE SEEN COMPLAINTS OF SOME OTHER YEARS). THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL, DEALERSHIPS DENY RESPONSIBILITY. CODE HAS INDICATED BAD COIL - HAVE REPLACED COIL, SAME PROBLEM. ANECDOTAL REPORTS THAT PCM BOARD APPEARS TO BE SHORTING OR OTHERWISE AFFECTED BY TOO LONG SCREWS, SUGGESTION TO REPLACE WITH SHORTER SCREWS OR PLACE WASHERS TO PREVENT POTENTIAL CONTACT TO BOARD. THIS APPEARS TO HAVE WORKED FOR AT LEAST A BRIEF TIME FOR MANY, MYSELF INCLUDED, THEN PROBLEM RECURS. OTHERS SUGGEST THIS IS INDICATION THAT CIRCUIT BOARD IS CRACKED, THUS SCREW CONTACT RESULTS IN INTERMITTENT DISCONNECT AND FAILURE. VERY MUCH WHAT HAPPENS. STALLS, THEN MAY START AND RUN FINE FOR A LITTLE BIT, THEN WILL STALL AGAIN. NO WARNING -CAN BE GOING FREEWAY SPEED AND IT WILL SUDDENLY STALL, THUS LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES.... VERY DANGEROUS. ALL INDICATIONS ARE A VERY BAD PCM DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING THAT RECURRED OVER SEVERAL YEARS. *TR