NHTSA Complaint #11145094 — 2016 JEEP CHEROKEE

SHORTLY AFTER A RIGHT TURN INTO A SHORT STEEP UPHILL SECTION OF ROAD, THE CAR JUST DIED. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS. THE DISPLAY MESSAGE SAID TO SHIFT INTO P THEN SELECT A GEAR. THE CAR HAD NO FUNCTIONALITY, IT WAS DEAD AND STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS TOWARDS THE INTERSECTION. PUT IN PARK AND TRIED TO RESTART - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND WAS ABLE TO OPERATE FOOT BRAKE WHICH WAS ALSO UNRESPONSIVE TO THAT POINT - PANICKING THAT THE CAR WOULD ROLL ACROSS THE INTERSECTION INTO THE DITCH. CAR WOULD NOT HOWEVER START. AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND TRIES, THE CAR STARTED AND DROVE AS THOUGH NOTHING HAD HAPPENED AND NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DISPLAY. DROVE HOME FROM WORK AND TO THE DEALER, LIKE NOTHING HAD HAPPENED. BUT SCARED THAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT REPEAT AND DELIBERATELY TOOK BACKROADS JUST IN CASE. CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I'D TAKEN THE INTERSTATE AND THE PROBLEM REPEATED. AFTER GETTING HOME, FOUND THEY HAD CALLED AND LEFT A MESSAGE ABOUT THERE BEING NO OIL. CALLED BACK - LONG CONVERSATION: - THEY SAID THERE WAS NO OIL ON THE DIPSTICK (SO WHY DID THE OIL LIGHT NOT COME ON?) - THEY HAD CHANGED THE OIL AND FILTER AND THE CAR WAS GOOD TO GO (REALLY?) - THEY RECOMMENDED BRINGING THE CAR BACK AFTER 1000 MILES TO CHECK OIL CONSUMPTION (SO IF THE CAR FOR WHATEVER REASON LOSES ITS OIL WILL IT REALLY BE SAFE TO DRIVE? COULD IT NOT HAPPEN THE NEXT MILE, THE 100TH MILE?) - THEY SAID THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF OIL LEAKS (YES, WE WOULD HAVE NOTICED OIL SPOTS ON THE FLOOR OF OUR GARAGE) - THEY SAID THERE MUST BE "INTERNAL CONSUMPTION" OF THE OIL (SO THERE SHOULD BE SMOKE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST, RIGHT? THERE WAS NOT) ..GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES. WHY DOES THE CAR STOP DEAD WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS. THE DEALER SAID THIS IS TO PROTECT THE CAR. WELL, THANK YOU CHRYSLER FOR CARING SO LITTLE ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS THAT YOU PROTECT YOUR CAR FROM DAMAGE AT THE EXPENSE OF PEOPLE.