NHTSA Complaint #10494615 — 2004 JEEP LIBERTY

DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER FELT EXTREMELY HOT AGAINST MY BACK WHILE DRIVING. LEANED FORWARD AND SMELLED A BURNING ODOR, ALSO FELT JACKET AND BACK OF SEAT WHICH WERE BOTH EXTREMELY HOT AND IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE HEATED SEATS. UPON ARRIVING AT WORK,GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND SAW THE FRONT SEAT LEATHER AGAINST WHERE MY BACK WAS HAD BEEN BURNED, AS WELL AS THE BACK OF MY JACKET. CALLED THE CHRYSLER RECALL PHONE NUMBER AND WAS TOLD THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE FOR THE HEATED SEATS MALFUNCTIONING AND OVERHEATING, THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL AVAILABLE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE JEEP LIBERTY. BECAUSE THE VEHICLE'S WARRANTY IS EXPIRED, THEY SAID THEY WILL NOT COVER EXPENSES DUE TO REPAIRS. I THEN CALLED MY LOCAL DEALER, WHO ALSO SAID I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS SINCE THERE IS NOT A RECALL FOR THIS MODEL OF JEEP. UPON SEARCHING THE WEB, THERE ARE NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS OF OTHER JEEP LIBERTIES WITH THIS ISSUE, INCLUDING A COURT CASE THAT WAS FILED 10/29/12 FOR A 2004 JEEP LIBERTY WHICH THE HEATED SEATS GENERATED DANGEROUSLY HIGH TEMPERATURES IN WHICH A CONSUMER ENDURED THIRD DEGREE BURNS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A FIRE OR INJURY TO CONSUMERS. *TR