NHTSA Complaint #10899554 — 2008 JEEP PATRIOT

I TOOK MY JEEP PATRIOT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC TO PUT A HITCH ON THE BACK FOR A BIKE RACK, AND HE NOTICED THAT MY SUBFRAME/CROSS MEMBER WAS IN DIRE NEED OF REPLACEMENT DUE TO RUST. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A JEEP DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE IN THESE EARLY GEN. PATRIOTS, AND THAT A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED BY JEEP (CHRYSLER ACTION # 23-012-1) FOR THE 2007 PATRIOT AND COMPASS MODELS. THE DETAILS OF THE RECALL WOULD BE THAT JEEP WOULD COVER THE COST TO REPAIR THE ROTTED SUB FRAMES IN THE 2007 PATRIOTS MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO JULY 2007, AND THE ELIGIBILITY FOR COVERAGE UNDER THIS RECALL IS DECIDED BY VIN NUMBER. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT MY JEEP WAS MANUFACTURED AFTER JULY 2007, BUT PURCHASED IN MARCH 2008 AND THUS WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE SAME RECALL. NOW, I AM CURRENTLY HAVING ISSUES WITH MY PATRIOT'S STEERING AND DECELERATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I EXPERIENCE SHAKING OF THE STEERING WHEEL AND VIBRATIONS THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE WHILE GOING SPEEDS OVER 50MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. WHEN EXITING THE HIGHWAY ON A RAMP, THE ISSUES ARE THE MOST PRONOUNCED. I HAVE TO BE DILIGENT ABOUT BRAKING SEVERAL TIMES TO MAKE SURE THE CAR IS DECELERATING SAFELY AS WELL AS THE STEERING FEELING EXTREMELY LOOSE. I'VE CONTACTED JEEP TO SEE IF THE ISSUE WITH THE SUB FRAME ROTTING WOULD BE COVERED IN THE 2008 PATRIOT MODEL, SINCE IT APPEARS TO BE THE SAME ISSUE AS THE 2007S HAD AND HAD NOT BEEN CORRECTED. I HAD NO LUCK TALKING TO A REPRESENTATIVE WITH JEEP ABOUT THIS ISSUE. MY TICKET WITH JEEP WAS CLOSED BY CUSTOMER SERVICE AFTER THE E-MAIL REP. DIRECTED ME TO PURCHASE A WARRANTY WITH JEEP OR VISIT A DEALER (WHICH I'D ALREADY DONE). WE ARE BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC TO FIX THE SUB FRAME THIS WEEK. I'D LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED BY JEEP FOR THE COST OF REPAIRING THE SUBFRAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR