NHTSA Complaint #10840177 — 2007 JEEP LIBERTY

DESPITE GOOD MAINTENANCE RECORDS, ENGINE SEIZED WHILE JEEP WAS IN MOTION, RESULTING IN TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST. THERE WERE ZERO WARNINGS SUCH A THING WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. NO ENGINE LIGHT. NO ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISE. NOTHING. THE ENGINE JUST SEIZED. FORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER DESCRIBED ENGINE FAILURE AS 'ONE-IN-A-MILLION.' VALVE FELL INTO CYLINDER, CAUSING A DESTRUCTIVE CHAIN REACTION. UPON CONTACTING CHRYSLER'S CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND PRESENTING MY 'ONE-IN-A-MILLION' TYPE OF FAILURE (CASE ID# 28648873), I REQUESTED SUPPORT, BUT WAS TOLD THAT CHRYSLER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ME WITH ANY KIND OF SUPPORT AND THAT THE DECISION WAS FINAL. DOES ANYONE GO OUT BUYING A USED CAR EXPECTING THAT THE ENGINE WILL RUIN ITSELF ALL THE SUDDEN, JUST BECAUSE IT'S OVER 100K MILES? (THE MILEAGE BEING ONE OF THE REASONS WHY NO SUPPORT WOULD BE PROVIDED) THE 'AUTOCHECK' REPORT LISTED ONLY TWO OWNERS BEFORE ME. THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD BOUGHT THIS AS A 'PRE-OWNED CERTIFIED' CAR, AND AFTER 6 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP AND PROPER MAINTENANCE LET GO OF IT. THE AUTOCHECK REPORT RATED IT 79 ON A SCALE FROM 71 TO 84, AND I WAS IN EFFECT, JUST THE THIRD OWNER! THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD TO UNFORTUNATELY SURRENDER THE CAR TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY, GIVEN THE EXPENSIVE COSMETIC REPAIR COST OF A REAR END IMPACT. I PURCHASED THE CAR AT A PUBLIC AUTO AUCTION AND GOT THE REAR END REPAIRED. AS WEEKS HAVE GONE BY AND I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING MY OPTIONS, I HAVE COME TO LEARN THAT THOSE 3.7L POWERTECH ENGINES HAD SOME DESIGN FLAWS THAT HAVE COST NUMEROUS JEEP LIBERTY OWNERS ANYWHERE FROM DROPPED VALVES, TO FALLEN ROCKER ARMS, LEADING IN CASES LIKE MINE, TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. HAD MY ENGINE FAILURE TAKEN PLACE AT HIGHWAY SPEED, A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING OUTCOME COULD HAVE HAPPENED.