NHTSA Complaint #10939523 — 2011 JEEP LIBERTY

THE HEATER CORE ON THE LIBERTY BECAME PARTIALLY BLOCKED. THE HEATER CORE IS NOT SERPENTINE IN DESIGN. INSTEAD, IT HAS A SERIES OF PIPES THAT CONNECT THE TANKS ON BOTH ENDS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE BOTTOM OF THE HEATER CORE PLUGS UP. WATER CAN STILL PASS THROUGH THE UPPER PIPES, HOWEVER. SO THE TOP HALF OF THE HEATER CORE GETS HOT AND THE BOTTOM HALF DOES NOT. THE HAZARD HERE IS THAT THE WAY THE HEATER CORE IS POSITIONED IN THE AIR BOX, THE AIR THAT BLOWS OVER THE TOP HALF GOES TO THE PASSENGER SIDE. SO THE AIR THAT GOES TO THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE CAR IS THE AIR THAT BLEW OVER THE COLD, BOTTOM HALF OF THE HEATER CORE. THIS IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD CAN'T BE DEFOGGED/DEFROSTED AND IF YOU ARE DRIVING ALONG AND A SNOW EVENT STARTS, YOU CAN QUICKLY LOSE VISIBILITY. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM, AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF HEAT BACK BY DOING A STANDARD COOLANT FLUSH. I'VE HAD TO FLUSH IT TWICE A YEAR EVERY YEAR, HOWEVER, SINCE RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. ACCORDING TO THE OWNERS MANUAL, IT SHOULDN'T NEED FLUSHED ANYWHERE NEAR THIS OFTEN. AND THE COOLANT IS USUALLY PRETTY RUSTY WHEN I FLUSH IT. A QUICK SCAN OF THE INTERNET TELLS ME THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON HAVING THIS HEATER CORE PLUG PROBLEM AND AFTER TALKING TO MY LOCAL JEEP DEALERSHIP I'VE DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM IS FAIRLY COMMON. *TR