NHTSA Complaint #10743353 — 2007 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN I ACCIDENTLY TOUCHED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE ENGINE DIED AND I COASTED TO THE ROADSIDE WHERE I RESTARTED THE ENGINE. I HAD RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE SENT BY CHRYSLER AND HAD FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS CONTAINED IN THE NOTICE, SO NOTIFIED THEM OF THE INCIDENT. ABOUT A MONTH LATER THE SAME THING OCCURRED BUT THIS TIME I DID NOT TOUCH THE KEY. THIS TIME IT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE INTO A TURN. THE VEHICLE HAD JUST BEGAN TO MOVE WHEN IT DIED. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND COMPLETED THE TRIP. I AGAIN NOTIFIED CHRYSLER WHO DIRECTED ME TO HAVE THE SWITCH REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. THE DEALER THAT I WAS USING TOLD ME THE OLD MODEL REPLACEMENT SWITCH WAS NOT IN STOCK AND UNAVAILABLE AS THE NEW PARTS HAD NOT BEEN PRODUCED AND HE WOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO FIND A REPLACEMENT. I LOCATED A DEALER WHO ORDERED THE OLD DESIGNED PART FROM CHRYSLER STOCK AND REPLACED IT FOR ME. THEY ALSO INSTRUCTED ME TO RETURN WHEN THE NEW PARTS ARE AVAILABLE AS THE WORK DID NOT SATISFY THE RECALL NOTICE. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER SOME TIME BACK TO SEE WHEN NEWLY DESIGNED PARTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE AND THEY STILL HAD NOT RECEIVED THEM. THEY ALSO SAID THEY HAD NO TIME FRAME FOR THE REPLACEMENT PARTS. THIS IS THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROBLEM WITHOUT RESOLUTION, FAR TOO LONG. UPDATED 09/14/15*LJ