NHTSA Complaint #10714196 — 2008 JEEP COMMANDER

ON 1 MAY 2015 I DROVE MY 2008 JEEP COMMANDER ON ERRANDS, MAKING SEVERAL STOPS. RETURNING TO THE VEHICLE AFTER MY LAST ERRAND, IT REFUSED TO START WHEN THE IGNITION KEY WAS PROPERLY INSERTED AND TURNED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AND NOTICING THAT THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR LIGHTS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS AND ELECTRIC WINDOWS ALL FUNCTIONED PROPERLY, I CONCLUDED THERE WAS A STARTER OR ALTERNATOR PROBLEM. I HAD THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR ATTEMPT TO JUMP THE VEHICLE JUST IN CASE IT WAS THE BATTERY, WHICH IT WAS NOT, AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TOWED 30 MILES HOME AT THE COST OF $175. THE NEXT MORNING, I WONDERED IF SOMETHING COULD BE AMISS WITH THE ELECTRONIC KEY FOB. I TRIED THE SPARE KEY AND THE CAR STARTED IMMEDIATELY. I THEN TRIED MY ORIGINAL KEY AGAIN AND THE CAR ALSO STARTED. WE DID RECEIVE A IGNITION SWITCH RECALL NOTICE FROM CHRYSLER IN THE FALL OF 2014 THAT INDICATED WE WOULD BE NOTIFIED WHEN PARTS BECAME AVAILABLE, SO I CALLED THEIR 1-800 NUMBER FOR AN UPDATE. CHRYSLER CANNOT PROVIDE ANY SPECIFIC TIME FRAME FOR WHEN THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. THE ONLY THING THEY WILL DO IS ADD YOUR EMAIL TO THE "SPECIAL NOTIFICATION LIST" SO THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL WHEN THE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE RATHER THAN WAITING FOR A PHYSICAL LETTER TO ARRIVE VIA USPS. I NOW HAVE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE KNOWING THAT IT COULD SHUT DOWN WHILE I AM DRIVING AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT - PRESUMABLY WITH DISABLED AIR BAGS DUE TO THE IGNITION BEING "OFF" - OR STRAND ME BY NOT STARTING. AS A BIOLOGIST, I DO RESEARCH IN SOME PRETTY INACCESSIBLE PLACES, SO THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME. CHRYSLER SHOULD BE COMPELLED TO ENGINEER A FIX AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE NOW! *TR