NHTSA Complaint #10759419 — 2014 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

JEEP ROLLAWAY COMPLAINT: MY BRAND NEW 2014 JEEP CHEROKEE ROLLED AWAY FROM ME WHEN I PUT IT INTO PARK. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO GET THE MAIL AND FEW SECONDS LATER, I HEAR A CRASH. THE JEEP ROLLED OFF THE DRIVEWAY INTO A TREE. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS IN THE WAY AND MY DAUGHTER WAS NOT IN THE CAR. I GOT BACK INTO THE CAR AND FOUND THAT IT WAS IN REVERSE, NOT PARK! THE FONT BUMPER WAS DISLODGED AND SMASHED. I HAD BEEN HAVING A LOT OF TROUBLE GETTING THE ELECTRON GEAR SELECTOR TO CHOOSE THE CORRECT GEAR SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR. 50% OF THE TIME I WOULD DISCOVER THAT I WAS IN REVERSE WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS IN PARK. THERE IS VERY LITTLE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE TWO GEARS, NOTHING DEFINITIVE LIKE THERE IS ON A SLIDE TRACK IN MOST CARS WITH A DEFINITIVE CLUNK WHEN YOU PUT IT INTO PARK. THE ONLY WAY TO BE ABSOLUTELY SURE WAS TO LOOK DOWN AT THE GEAR SHIFT TO SEE THE LIGHT INDICATOR. I'VE BEEN DRIVING ALL MY 59 YEAR OLD LIFE AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT. I WAS SO UPSET AND FRUSTRATED WITH THE GEAR SHIFT THAT I TOOK IT BACK AND ORDERED A 2013 JEEP WITH THE OLD GEAR SHIFT ON A TRACK SYSTEM. I'D HAD IT! IF THEY DON'T CHANGE THE GEAR SYSTEM IN THE NEXT JEEP, I WILL HAVE TO BUY A DIFFERENT MAKE. THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH MAY HAVE BEEN SOME KIND OF DEFECT IN THE ELECTRONIC GEAR SHIFT, IS, IN MY OPINION, NOT A DEFECT, SO NATURALLY CHRYSLER WILL NOT FIND ANY DEFECTS. I THINK IT IS POOR DESIGN AND A HAZARD. IT IS A HUMAN INTERFACE PROBLEM. PARK SHOULD NOT BE SO CLOSE TO REVERSE. THE GEAR SHIFT ONLY MOVES ABOUT A 1/4 INCH ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. YOU CAN NOT DEPEND ON FEEL TO TELL WHICH GEAR YOU ARE IN, WHICH YOU CAN WHEN YOU HAVE A CAR WITH A SLIDE TRACK GEAR SHIFT. ALSO, ANOTHER INCIDENT: I WAS MAKING A LEFT AND HAD TO BREAK HARD FOR A SEC, MY PURSE MOVED FORWARD AND EASILY PUSHED THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL WHEN I NEEDED TO BE IN GEAR FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC. STUPID DESIGN.