NHTSA Complaint #10743617 — 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

THE FIRST INCIDENT TOOK PLACE APPROXIMATELY ON THE ABOVE DATE. AS MY DAUGHTER, FRIENDS AND I WERE PULLING ONTO THE ROAD, I BUMPED THE KEY WITH MY KNEE AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. EVERYTHING WENT DEAD. I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL, TURNED THE KEY, STARTED IT, AND CONTINUED ON. IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SINCE THEN, TWICE WITH MY DAUGHTER DRIVING. WE FOLLOWED THE RECALL POSTED BY CHRYSLER AND REMOVED EVERYTHING FROM THE KEY CHAIN, MOVED THE SEAT BACK, ETC. (THERE IS NO FIX OFFERED FOR THIS). THIS PAST SATURDAY NIGHT, 7/25/15, MY 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS RETURNING HOME FROM A FRIENDS HOUSE WHEN SHE SNEEZED AND AS SHE WAS RECOVERING AND RE-ADJUSTING, SHE BUMPED THE KEY AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, EVERYTHING IS CUT OFF. LIGHTS, BRAKES, GAUGES, EVERYTHING. BEING DARK, SHE COULD NOT SEE, COULD BARELY STEER, BRAKE, ETC. AND WAS BASICALLY "ALONG FOR THE RIDE". AS SHE WAS IN A LEFT TURN AT THE TIME, SHE PULLED THE WHEEL TO THE RIGHT TO TRY AND STAY ON THE ROAD AND NOT GO "BEYOND THE TURN" AND CRASH. BECAUSE THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING, SHE WAS GOING TOO FAST, MANAGED TO GET THE CAR GOING TO THE RIGHT BUT ENDED UP IN A SLIDE. THE CAR SLID SIDEWAYS AND THEN BACKWARDS, SLIDING OFF THE ROAD TO THE RIGHT SIDE AND ONTO A DRIVEWAY WHERE THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT WHEEL CAUGHT THE CULVERT UNDER THE DRIVEWAY, FLIPPING THE JEEP ONTO THE DRIVERS SIDE WHERE IT REMAINED AS IT SLID BACKWARDS FOR ABOUT 10 FEET, STOPPING IN A RESIDENTS YARD. THANKFULLY, MY DAUGHTER WAS ABLE TO CLIMB UP AND OUT THE PASSENGER WINDOW, UNHARMED, GO TO A HOUSE AND GET HELP. BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A "FIX" FOR THIS PROBLEM (CHRYSLER ADMITS THIS ON THE RECALL NOTICE), I AM OUT A VEHICLE BECAUSE OF A DEFECT THEY CAN NOT/WILL NOT FIX. BECAUSE OF THE YEAR MODEL AND MILEAGE, I ONLY CARRIED LIABILITY INSURANCE, SO THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE WILL EXCEED THE COST TO REPAIR. I FEEL CHRYSLER OWES ME THE REPLACEMENT COST.