NHTSA Complaint #10501702 — 1990 JEEP CHEROKEE

THE INFAMOUS BENDIX ABS MOTOR/PUMP ASSEMBLY FAILED FOR THE THIRD TIME RESULTING IN A LOSS OF VIRTUALLY ALL STOPPING ABILITY. ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS (1997 & 2007), CHRYSLER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE PURSUANT TO THE "LIFETIME WARRANTY" IMPOSED IN CONNECTION WITH RECALL #702. IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 5 WEEKS SINCE THE LOCAL DEALER DIAGNOSED THIS RECURRING DEFECT BUT BOTH THEY AND CHRYSLER CLAIM AN INABILITY TO FIX IT DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY TO OBTAIN THE REFERENCED ABS BOOSTER UNIT. THIS ASSERTION IS FALSE. MORE THAN 5200 JEEPS WERE RECALLED AND A REBUILDABLE CORE WAS OBTAINED FOR EACH INSTALLATION. CHRYSLER IS EITHER MAKING NO EFFORT TO OBTAIN EXISTING UNITS OR FAILING TO HAVE NEW ONES MANUFACTURED. THERE IS NOT A SINGLE ONE IN DEALER INVENTORY IN THE U.S. AND NO DELIVERIES ARE SCHEDULED. CHRYSLER IS HOPING THAT BY TELLING A CUSTOMER THAT THE ITEM IS "BACKORDERED", HE/SHE WILL SIMPLY GO AWAY AS IF SUCH A STATUS WAS AN UNAVOIDABLE ACT OF GOD. CHRYSLER'S REFUSAL TO HONOR THEIR OBLIGATION IS PUTTING MANY DRIVERS AT RISK AS SOME ARE CERTAINLY DRIVING THOSE JEEPS WITH UNASSISTED BRAKING WAITING FOR THE PART THAT WILL NEVER ARRIVE. I FOUND NUMEROUS MESSAGES ON JEEP FORUM WEBSITES WHEREIN 1990 OWNERS WERE COMPLAINING OF THIS PART UNAVAILABILITY SCAM AS EARLY AS 1999. NHTSA NEEDS TO COMPEL COMPLIANCE THROUGH EVERY AVAILABLE MEANS FORTHWITH.