NHTSA Complaint #10628968 — 2006 JEEP COMMANDER

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE HEARD TO BE WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A LOUD EXHAUST LEAK UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE. WHILE DRIVING THE NOISE SEEMED TO LESSEN / GO AWAY. UPON DOING RESEARCH MANY REPORTS THAT IF YOU HEAR AN "EXHAUST LEAK" UPON START UP THEN FADE AWAY, IT COULD BE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS HAVE BROKEN. I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO LOOK UNDER THE HOOD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS COLD, AND LOW AND BEHOLD THE BOLT THAT GOES THROUGH THE HEAT SHIELD AND MANIFOLD AND INTO THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS CRACKED IN TWO PIECES SEPARATING THE MANIFOLD FROM THE BLOCK. I CALL MY MECHANIC, HE SAID BRING IT DOWN RIGHT AWAY, HE LOOKED AT IT AND SAW THAT THERE WAS 2 BOLTS BROKEN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. AGAIN MANY COMPLAINTS FROM CUSTOMERS ONLINE ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS ISSUE IS TO LIFT THE ENGINE OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO DRILL OUT THE BROKEN BOLTS THAT ARE STUCK IN THE BLOCK. NOW. MY MECHANIC TRIES EVERYTHING ALL SORTS OF ANGLE TOOLS, OTHER TOOLS AND CANT REMOVE THE BOLTS, SO THE ONLY THING LEFT TO DO IS LIFT THE ENGINE. I HAVE THE ENGINE LIFTED AND FIND THAT THERE WERE MORE BOLTS BROKEN ON THE DRIVER SIDE AS WELL. I GO TO THE DEALER AND BUY ALL NEW "UPGRADED BOLTS" ( AS THE DEALER SPECIFIED) FOR THIS ALONG WITH GASKETS, REAR MAIN SEAL, FAN CLUTCH, OIL PAN GASKET ETC. I EXPLAIN TO THE DEALER THE PROBLEM AND THEY ADMIT TO THE PROBLEM BUT THERE'S NO RECALL ON THE 4.7L ONLY ON THE HEMI FOR THE BROKEN MANIFOLD BOLTS. I ASK WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER REPLIED " THE MANUFACTURER INSTALLED THE WRONG GRADE BOLTS FROM THE MANIFOLD TO THE BLOCK." NOW I'M OUT ALMOST $3500 FOR PARTS AND LABOR FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED, THIS IS SOMETHING CHRYSLER/JEEP SHOULD BE ON TOP OF CONSIDERING THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE. THIS IS MY SECOND JEEP, AND I'M NOT SURE I'D PURCHASE ANOTHER ONE. *TR