NHTSA Complaint #11232955 — 2016 JEEP WRANGLER

AFTER TURNING INTO A LARGE PARKING LOT FROM A CITY STREET WHILE STILL DRIVING THE 2016 JEEP WRANGLER JKU SPORT'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOLLOWED ABRUPTLY BY THE ENGINE QUITTING AND NUMEROUS DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATING. THE NOW DEAD VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY COASTED TO A STOP AS SMOKE STARTING BILLOWING FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE VEHICLE WAS QUICKLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THIS JEEP WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW 3 YEARS AND 3 WEEKS AGO AND HAD LESS THAN 16,000 MILES ON IT. TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE FIRE, THE BATTERY ABRUPTLY DIED AND WOULD NOT HOLD A CHARGE. AFTER A NEW TOP-OF-THE-LINE BATTERY WAS INSTALLED, THE DASH RED SECURITY LIGHT WOULD FLASH CONSTANTLY WHILE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. JUST ONE DAY PRIOR TO THE FIRE THE JEEP WAS SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP TO ACCOMPLISH TWO SAFETY RECALL ITEMS RELATED TO AN AIRBAG WIRING HARNESS AND AIRBAG MODULE. THE JEEP'S WIRELESS CONTROL MODULE (WCM) WAS DIAGNOSED TO HAVE AN INTERNAL FAILURE BUT WAS NOT REPLACED AT THAT TIME DUE TO A WARRANTY DISPUTE AND ALSO AVAILABILITY OF THE MODULE. PRIOR TO THE BATTERY FAILURE, WHICH WAS JUST 1 WEEK BEYOND THE 3-YEAR WARRANTY DATE, THIS 2016 JEEP WRANGLER WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND HAD ZERO MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY SERVICING OUTSIDE OF ROUTINE OIL CHANGES AND SERVICE CHECKS. THE FIRE STARTED QUICKLY AND BURNED EXTREMELY HOT BURNING THROUGH THE FIREWALL AND INTO THE CABIN IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. FORTUNATELY THE OCCUPANT WAS ABLE TO EGRESS WITHOUT INJURY. THIS JEEP, WITH LESS THAN 16,000 MILES, IS A TOTAL LOSS. THE HOTSPOT ON THE HOOD APPEARS TO BE AROUND THE LOCATION OF THE FUSE BOX. ATTEMPTS TO EXTINGUISH THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE WITH A PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER WERE FUTILE.*DT *TR