NHTSA Complaint #11040243 — 2016 JEEP RENEGADE

PREMATURE CLUTCH FAILURE. VEHICLE HAS 13400 MILES. UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AT HIGHWAY SPEED (65MPH, 6TH GEAR) CRUISE CONTROL BECAME DISABLED, AND SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER SERVICE WARNINGS SUCH AS SERVICE ABS, 4WD, PARKING BRAKE, ECS. VEHICLE LOST MOST FORWARD POWER, BUT WAS STILL ABLE TO SAFELY OPERATE DUE TO THE VEHICLES "LIMP MODE". UNDER "LIMP MODE" VEHICLE STILL OPERATED NORMALY WITH NO INDICATION OF MECHANICAL PROBLEMS, AFTER A FEW MILES, ALL WARNING AND SERVICE ENGINE LIGHTS DISAPPEARED AND NORMAL DRIVING RESUMED, HAD FULL ACCELERATION POWER, AND NO ISSUES. PRESUMED IT WAS A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION AND IT CORRECTED IT SELF. CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO DESTINATION, AFTER 30 MILES VEHICLE LOST FORWARD POWER, AND SERVICE AND WARNING INDICATORS RE-APPEARED. WAS UNABLE TO DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH TO PROPERLY STOP VEHICLE AND OR SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. VEHICLE WAS STUCK IN GEAR AND NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE IT WOULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY, VEHICLE WOULD BE NEARLY AT A COMPLETE STOP BUT WOULD BUCK AND JOLT, UNTIL I MANUALLY SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. VEHICLE DID REQUIRE A TOW SERVICE AND WOULD NOT START AFTERWARDS. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING OR FAILED DURING DRIVING NOR HAD IT EXPERIENCED ANY ISSUE IN THE PREVIOUS TRIPS, (IE, SMOKE, BURNT SMELL, BUCKING OR JOLTING, RATTLES) ONLY INDICATION I EXPERIENCED WAS THE NO FORWARD POWER, UNABLE TO SHIFT, AND STOP PROPERLY WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. IF THE CLUTCHED FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY WITH NO PRIOR WARNING SIGNS, IT MAY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT DUE TO POSSIBLE LOCKING OF THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION WITH NO WAY TO DISENGAGE, RESULTING IN UNABLE TO EFFECTIVELY STOP THE VEHICLE. IT COULD ALSO SEIZE THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION, RESULTING IN A SUDDEN UNCONTROLLED STOP.