NHTSA Complaint #10939050 — 2012 JEEP WRANGLER

FROM: CUSTOMER VEHICLE: 2012 JEEP WRANGLER SPORT, PURCHASED NEW IN 2012. REFERENCE: PROBLEMS IN HEATING SYSTEM TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I PURCHASED A NEW 2012 JEEP WRANGLER SPORT FROM HENDRICK CHRYSLER JEEP IN FAYETTEVILLE, NC. FOURTEEN MONTHS LATER, I MOVED TO FLORIDA, WHERE THERE WAS NO NEED TO USE THE HEATER. UPON MY RETURN TO NORTH CAROLINA IN THE WINTER OF 2014, I NOTICED THAT HEATER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WAS NOT AS WARM AS THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE FOLLOWING WINTER, THE HEAT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FADED TO A POINT WHERE IT WAS BARELY WORKING. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE AND SPEAKING WITH A REPRESENTATIVE AT HENDRICK JEEP SERVICE CENTER, I LEARNED THAT THE HEATER CORE WAS LIKELY THE PROBLEM AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO FLUSH THE HEATER CORE. IN JANUARY 2015, I TOOK MY JEEP TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC TO HAVE THE HEATER CORE FLUSHED, WHICH FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR A SHORT TIME. RESEARCH ONLINE AMONG JEEP OWNERS OF MY MODEL AND YEAR REVEALED THAT THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION IS A NEW RADIATOR AND HEATER CORE (NEITHER OF WHICH ARE UNDER WARRANTY OR UNDER RECALL). THE POOR CLEANING AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURING HAS CAUSED THE CASTING OF SAND IN THE HEATER CORE AND RADIATOR, RESULTING BUILD UP THAT BLOCKS HEAT. NOW, IN WINTER OF 2016, MY HEATER DOES NOT WORK. I CANNOT FIND A RECALL OR A REBATE FOR THE MORE THAN $2,400 DEALER ESTIMATE I RECEIVED TO REPLACE MY HEATER CORE AND RADIATOR. I FOUND A CHRYSLER STAR CASE (SEE ATTACHMENT) THAT GIVES STEPS TO FIX THE PROBLEM WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING ITS ORIGINS IN MANUFACTURING. I HAVE EMAILED CHRYSLER WITH A REQUEST FOR SUPPORT, TO NO AVAIL. GIVEN THAT THIS PROBLEM IS SO WIDESPREAD AND CONSISTANT AMONG JEEP OWNERS OF MY MODEL AND YEAR, I WANTED TO SHARE THE CASE WITH THE RECALL AGENCY, ALTHOUGH I KNOW THIS IS NOT A DIRECT 'SAFETY ISSUE.'