NHTSA Complaint #10534263 — 2009 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

I WAS DRIVING ON THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY NORTH TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65MPH (THE SPEED LIMIT) AND I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE THREE LANE LOCAL LANES. I DRIFTED TOO FAR TO THE LEFT AND HIT THE RUMBLE STRIPS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IMMEDIATELY, MY TPMS LIGHT CAME ON AND I PULLED OVER RIGHT AWAY. APPARENTLY, MY TPMS SENSOR ON THE TIRE BROKE AND WAS LETTING AIR OUT OF MY TIRE. WHAT HAPPENED WAS, THE METAL SCREW THAT IS AROUND THE METAL VALVE STEM SHEERED OFF AND NOTHING WAS HOLDING THE VALVE STEM/TPMS IN PLACE EXCEPT FOR THE AIR PRESSURE INSIDE THE TIRE. WHEN I RAN OVER THE RUMBLE STRIP, IT MUST HAVE DISLODGED THE SENSOR AND STARTED LETTING AIR OUT OF MY TIRE. I WENT TO A TIRE SHOP AND THEY FOUND A BROKEN TPMS SENSOR AND THEY REPLACED THE VALVE STEM WITH A STANDARD NON-TPMS VALVE STEM. MY TIRE WAS UNDAMAGED AND IS BACK ON THE RIM, SO IT WAS 100% A PROBLEM WITH THE TPMS SENSOR. FURTHERMORE, LAST YEAR, I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM. I GOT A FLAT TIRE AND MY TPMS WAS DAMAGED. NOW, LOOKING BACK, I FEEL THAT THE TPMS MUST HAVE FAILED CAUSING MY FLAT TIRE. IN THAT INCIDENT, MY TIRE WAS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF THE FLAT. I NOTICE NOW THAT CHRYSLER HAS A NEWER VERSION OF THEIR TPMS SENSORS THAT GO ON THE WHEEL. THE NEW VERSION HAS A RUBBER VALVE STEM, WHILE THE ONES ON MY VEHICLE HAVE A METAL VALVE STEM. OBVIOUSLY, CHRYSLER HAS FOUND AN ISSUE WITH THE METAL ONES AND HAVE UPDATES THEIR PARTS. I THINK THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND EVEN THOUGH I AM OK, I CAN FORSEE THIS CAUSING MAJOR PROBLEMS. CHRYSLER SHOULD HAVE MY REMAINING TPMS SENSORS REPLACE AT NO COST TO ME. *TR