NHTSA Complaint #10524352 — 2006 JEEP COMMANDER

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ABOUT A WEEK PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT FOR NH23. IT STATED THERE WERE NO PARTS TO REPAIR IT AND TO PUT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK IN THE MEANTIME WHICH I DID. ON JULY 3RD- I TOOK MY DAUGHTER TO THE BMV TO TAKE HER ROAD TEST IN MY JEEP. THE OFFICER AND MY CHILD STATED THAT THE CAR WAS MALFUNCTIONING AND NOT SAFE TO TEST IN. WE HAD NO PROBLEM ON THE WAY THERE. I WENT OUT TO SEE WHAT COULD BE WRONG AND THE VEHICLE WAS SURGING LOUDLY AND "JUMPING" IN PLACE. IT WOULD NOT SWITCH GEARS EITHER SO IT COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD MY TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. I CALLED THE RECALL NUMBER AND SPOKE TO [XXX] WHO TOLD ME THAT A SOFTWARE GLITCH WOULD'VE PREVENTED THIS PROBLEM FROM BEING DIAGNOSED AND TO HAVE IT TOWED TO GANLEY CHRYSLER IN BEDFORD, OH. I LEARNED ON 7/9 WHEN MIKE A SERVICE TECH THERE CALLED ME REQUESTING $936 TO OPEN THE TRANSMISSION. "IT'S A BROKEN PART IN THE TRANSMISSION." I ASKED HIM IF IT WAS RELATED TO THE TCA. HE SAID, "WHAT'S THAT? LET ME LOOK IT UP." HE THEN STATED, "NO. THAT'S JUST A PIECE THAT IS USED TO PROGRAM THE CAR. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT." I CALLED CHRYSLER BACK AND SPOKE WITH [XXX]. I GAVE HER THE BACKGROUND INFO AND SHE CALLED MIKE. SHE TOLD ME "IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL." THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT KNOW TO DIAGNOSE MY CAR ONCE IT WAS DROPPED OF THERE. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE INSTEAD OF DOING A THOROUGH CHECK THEY MAINTAINED THAT THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS A BROKEN PART IN THE TRANSMISSION AND IT IS NOT R/T TO THE TRANSFER CASE ACTUATOR. EVEN THOUGH THE TCA GOING BAD CAN CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO ??GO BAD?? OR BREAK. I FIRMLY BELIEVE IT COULD NOT BE APPROPRIATELY DIAGNOSED D/T A SOFTWARE GLITCH AND THAT THE TCA NEEDED REPLACING AND THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS AS THE RECALL STATED. WHY THEN SHOULD I PAY FOR THE REPAIRS? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR