NHTSA Complaint #11124233 — 2016 JEEP CHEROKEE

ON JULY 18, 2018 I WENT OUTSIDE TO GET AN ITEM OUT OF BACK OF MY VEHICLE WHICH WAS STATIONARY AND I COULDN'T GET LIFTGATE TO LIFT AND I NOTICED THERE WAS SMOKE IN MY CAR, I OPENED THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR AND SMOKE BILLOWED OUT. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, I GOT IN THE VEHICLE AND MOVED IT BACK AWAY FROM MY HOUSE AND NOTICED I HAD NO A/C, RADIO OR ANYTHING WORKING ON DASHBOARD. I LOOKED IN BACK OF VEHICLE AND IT WAS BURNT IN THE BACK LEFT CORNER OF LIFT GATE. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEY HAD IT TOWED TO MIKE SMITH AUTO GROUP IN BEAUMONT. THE SMELL IN THE VEHICLE WAS AWFUL, A COMBINATION OF BURNT RUBBER AND PLASTIC. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE FOR BACK LEFT LIFTGATE IN 2015 OF WHICH I TOOK IT IN AND SUPPOSEDLY IT WAS REPAIRED. I ALSO IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP OF WHICH THEY WERE NO HELP AT ALL AND VERY UNCONCERNED. I TALKED TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEY SAID IF IT WAS DUE TO A RECALL I SHOULD CALL CHRYSLER CORPORATION OF WHICH I DID DAILY WITH NO RESULTS. THEY WOULD NOT LET ME TALK TO ANYONE, THEY FINALLY SENT AN INSPECTOR OF WHICH HE JUST LOOKED AT THE INSIDE OF CAR, DID NOT TAKE THE PANELS OFF OR ANYTHING AND SENT TO THE CORPORATION AND THEY SENT ME A LETTER STATING IT WAS NOT DUE TO RECALL. MY INSURANCE COMPANY SENT AN ENGINEER WHO TOOK THE PANEL OFF AND SEARCHED IT THOROUGHLY AND DETERMINED IT WAS DUE TO THE RECALL. I CANNOT GET ANY HELP ON THIS WHICH IS NOT MY FAULT. *BF *TR *TT*JB