NHTSA Complaint #11042693 — 2014 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

ON 9-08-2017, MY WIFE AND I WERE RETURNING TO PFAFFTOWN, NC FROM GARDEN CITY, SC. A FEW MILES INTO THE DRIVE I THOUGHT I HEARD A HIGH PITCHED SOUND, BUT COULD NOT LOCATE IT. THEN WE THOUGHT WE SMELLED SOMETHING HOT, BUT THOUGHT IS WAS AN OLD TRUCK AHEAD OF US, BUT A FEW MILES LATER I GOT A LOW VOLTAGE SIGN AND TOLD MY WIFE TO CAR THE NEAREST JEEP DEALERSHIP AS WE HAD ENTERED CONWAY, SC. HAVING SOME BASIC ENGINE KNOWLEDGE I KNEW THE ALTERNATOR WASN'T CHARGING THE BATTERY AND THAT I WOULD LOSE ALL POWER. LUCKILY FOR US THE DEALERSHIP WAS LESS THAN 1.5 MILES AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO IT. WHEN I OPENED THE HOOD I FOUND THE ALTERNATOR SMOKING AND ALMOST HOT ENOUGH TO CATCH FIRE DUE TO OVERCHARGING. LUCKILY THE DEALERSHIP WAS ABLE TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR AND WE WERE ON OUR WAS HOME IN ABOUT AN HOUR, BUT WITH A $806.00 COST FOR THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE HAD 74109 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WHEN I GOT HOME MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON 2014 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEES FOR EXACTLY WHAT HAPPEN TO MINE. I CHECKED THIS WEBSITE AND FIAT/ CHRYSLER AND FOUND MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. I ALSO TALKED TO A NICE CHRYSLER REPRESENTATIVE OVER THE PHONE. SHE ALSO SAID THAT IT WAS NOT INCLUDED. IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT MY VEHICLE, WHICH IS THE SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR AS THOSE UNDER RECALL, AND HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM ADDRESSED BY THE RECALL SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE RECALL. AND NOTE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CLOSE TO LOSING ALL ELECTRICAL POWER, WHICH AFFECTS THE STEERING AND TRANSMISSION ON THESE VEHICLES AND I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL.