NHTSA Complaint #10641144 — 2007 JEEP COMMANDER

I WAS DRIVING MY 2007 JEEP COMMANDER, 5.7L HEMI AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH ON INTERSTATE 16 AT APPROXIMATELY 2200 HOURS WITH MY TWO MINOR CHILDREN SEATBELTED IN THE BACK. WE WERE APPROXIMATELY 150 MILES FROM HOME. THERE WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC DUE TO A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, ROAD CONSTRUCTION, AND RAINY WEATHER. I RECOGNIZED A PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING BECAUSE I COULD NOT ACCELERATE, AND MY ATTENTION WAS DIVERTED FROM DRIVING BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I REALIZED THAT THE ENGINE HAD CUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS NO POWER TO ANYTHING, AND THE VEHICLE WAS VERY HARD TO STEER AND TO STOP. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE, PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK, AND TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO RESTART THE ENGINE. I WAS ABLE TO CHECK UNDER THE HOOD AND I FOUND THAT THE OIL LEVEL WAS IN THE NORMAL RANGE AND THE OIL APPEARED CLEAN. THE ANTIFREEZE IN THE RESERVOIR WAS IN THE NORMAL RANGE AND THERE WAS NO BUBBLING. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, POWER STEERING FLUID, AND BRAKE FLUID WERE ALSO WITHIN NORMAL RANGES. AFTER ANOTHER TRY, IT RESTARTED, THEN THERE WAS A LOUD METAL CLANKING SOUND THEN COPIOUS SMOKE COMING FROM THE TAILPIPE, THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FLASHING. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE REGISTERED NORMAL. I TURNED THE TRUCK OFF AND STARTED MAKING PHONE CALLS WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND SEVERE LIGHTNING COMPLICATING THE SITUATION. WE ARRANGED FOR A TOW TRUCK TO TRANSPORT US TO A NEARBY HOTEL, AND THE NEXT DAY I TOWED THE JEEP BACK HOME USING A UHAUL TRUCK. MECHANICS HAVE DETERMINED THAT A PISTON HEAD IS DAMAGED AND CRACKED AND THE JEEP IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP HAVING A NEW ENGINE INSTALLED. THEY DID NOT FIND AN OBVIOUS CAUSE FOR THE DAMAGE TO THE PISTON. THERE ARE TWO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS: THE ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING, AND THE ENGINE FAILED PREMATURELY. IT IS UNKNOWN IF THE PROBLEMS ARE RELATED TO EACH OTHER. *TR