NHTSA Complaint #10662730 — 2008 JEEP COMMANDER

THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 27 NOV, AS WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A 2-LANE HIGHWAY. WE WERE TRAVELING APPROX. 60 MPH WHEN THE JEEP MADE A ?CLUNK? SOUND, SUDDENLY THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, GOT OUT AND DID A QUICK EXTERNAL CHECK TO TRY AND SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. NOTHING APPEARED TO BE WRONG. I GOT BACK IN AND TRIED TO START THE JEEP AGAIN, AND IT DID START UP. WE CAUTIOUSLY PROCEEDED BACK TO OUR HOTEL AND I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED UP THE NEAREST JEEP DEALER TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED FOR ANY MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. THE JEEP DEALER TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE JEEP, BUT THAT THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL FOR PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE TECH TOLD ME THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH ON OUR JEEP WAS LOOSE, WHICH COULD ALLOW IT TO SLIP FROM THE ON POSITION TO THE ACC POSITION WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP WHILE DRIVING. THEY SAID THERE WERE NO PARTS AVAILABLE YET TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY ADVISED THAT WE REMOVE ALL KEY CHAINS FROM THE KEY, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO. JUST TWO DAYS LATER, ON 29 NOV, WE HAD ANOTHER DANGEROUS INCIDENT. THIS TIME, WE WERE ON THE MIDDLE LANE OF A 3-LANE INTERSTATE. WE WERE TRAVELING AT APPROX. 70 MPH WHEN I AGAIN HEARD THE LOUD ?CLUNK?, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ENGINE POWER AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. I IMMEDIATELY PUT THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON AND TRIED TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY. WE WERE EXTREMELY LUCKY THAT THERE WAS NO VEHICLE IN THE LANE TO THE RIGHT OF US, AS I COULD BARELY GET THE JEEP OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO THE SHOULDER. IF ANOTHER VEHICLE WOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSE BEHIND US OR COMING UP ON THE RIGHT OF US, WE WOULD SURELY HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. I HAVE CONTACTED BOTH MY LOCAL JEEP DEALERSHIP AND THE CHRYSLER CORPORATION REGARDING A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM WITH NO ASSISTANCE FROM EITHER. *TR