NHTSA Complaint #10875406 — 2015 JEEP CHEROKEE

ON 06/04/16, AT 12,600 MILES, THE JEEP FAILED COMPLETELY ON THE FREEWAY. WE WERE DRIVING 50 MPH IN HEAVY SOUTHERN CA TRAFFIC WHEN THE 'TRANSMISSION SERVICE REQUIRED' LIGHT AND THE RED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED ON AND WE LOST ALL POWER. THIS HAPPENED INSTANTLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING. WE HAD TO THROW ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND DODGE ONCOMING TRAFFIC TO MOVE OVER 3 LANES TO EXIT THE FREEWAY AT LESS THAN 5 MPH. THIS WAS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE AND WE ARE LUCKY THE JEEP DID NOT CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT! THE TUSTIN JEEP DEALERSHIP DID A SOFTWARE UPDATE AND SAID IT WAS FINE. FCA HAS REMAINED ADAMANT THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT MECHANICAL, BUT SOFTWARE RELATED AND HAVE RELEASED 3 SOFTWARE PATCHES TO DATE BUT WE SEE NO IMPROVEMENT. ONE WEEK LATER ON 06/13/16 THE TRANSMISSION WAS STILL FUNCTIONING POORLY (HARD SHIFTS, UP SHIFTING AS YOU APPLY THE BREAK DOWNHILL, ETC.) AND THEN WE HAD ANOTHER PROBLEM. THE ALARM WENT OFF WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT SHUT OFF, EVEN WHEN THE JEEP'S ENGINE WAS TURNED ON. ONLY AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES AND PUSHING EVERY BUTTON ON THE KEY MULTIPLE TIMES DID IT FINALLY STOP. WE TOOK IT TO PLACENTIA JEEP AND THEY LOOKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND ALARM. AFTER HAVING OUR JEEP FOR A WEEK, THEY DID YET ANOTHER SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND DISCONNECTED THE GPS. THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE GPS THAT WAS INSTALLED AT THE DEALER AFTER THE FACT WAS INTERFERING WITH THE FACTORY INSTALLED ALARM, AND THAT CAUSED THE ALARM TO GO OFF AT RANDOM. THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE WE WERE CHARGED $1295 EXTRA FOR THAT FEATURE AND IT IS NOW DISCONNECTED. THE DEALER ALSO FOUND THAT THE BATTERY POWER WAS BELOW HALF, AND THEY FELT THAT THE RADIO WAS PULLING FROM THE BATTERY EVEN WHEN THE JEEP IS TURNED OFF. THEY FOUND NO RESOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM AND ASKED US TO RETURN AFTER A WEEK OR TWO TO REASSESS THE PROBLEMS.