NHTSA Complaint #10679418 — 2012 JEEP COMPASS

AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH AND THE GAS GAUGE SHOWING 1/4 OF A TANK LEFT, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT. IT WOULD RESTART. AFTER PUTTING SOME GAS IN IT STARTED IMMEDIATELY. SINCE THEN, AND BEFORE, I HAVE LET THE LEVEL RUN DOWN WELL BELOW A 1/4 OF A TANK WITH NO INCIDENT. MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT I CALLED JEEP BECAUSE THIS SCENARIO IS EXACTLY WHAT WAS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE I RECEIVED A YEAR OR SO AGO, WHICH SAID THAT AT HIGH SUSTAINED SPEED A FUEL INTAKE HOSE IN THE GAS TANK COULD COLLAPSE, RESULTING IN THE ENGINE TURNING OFF SUDDENLY AND A POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. I HAD THE RECALL PROCEDURE COMPLETED BUT I DID NOT TAKE ANY LONG TRIPS UNTIL THE DAY THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE JEEP RECALL SPECIALIST TOLD ME TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. THE DEALER TOLD ME IF THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG IT WOULD COST $99 FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. I ASKED IF THEY WOULD REMOVE THE FUEL TANK TO CHECK THE HOSE AND THEY SAID NO I DID NOT LEAVE THE CAR BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM, OR DUPLICATE IT. I CALLED JEEP AGAIN; THEY CALLED THE DEALER WHILE I WAS ON THE LINE AND ASKED THEM TO LOOK AT THE CAR AGAIN. WHEN I TOOK IT BACK I WAS TOLD THE SAME THING; THAT IF THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM IT WOULD COST ME $99. THEY THEN ADVISED ME TO TRY TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AGAIN, MYSELF, BY DRIVING THE CAR ON THE INTERSTATE UNTIL IT QUIT, AND THEN HAVE IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER. I COULDN'T BELIEVE I WAS HEARING THAT SO I CALLED THE JEEP RECALL DEPARTMENT AGAIN, AND AFTER SOME CONFERRING WITH OTHER PEOPLE THERE, THE SPECIALIST TOLD ME THAT YES, THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED TO DO; DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL IT QUITS. WHAT I FIND REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THIS IS THAT JEEP INITIALLY WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT, BUT NOW THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A CONCERN. ANY ADVICE? *TR