NHTSA Complaint #11255401 — 2007 JEEP COMPASS

INSPECTION AFTER CLUNKING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE REVEALED SEVERE ROT AND CORROSION OF THE SUBFRAME WITH THE MOUNTING FOR THE ANTI-ROLL BAR COMPLETED BROKEN AWAY FROM THE SUBFRAME. ALSO SEVERE CORROSION AROUND THE LOWER CONTROL ARM MOUNTING APPEARED TO BE CLOSE TO THE FAILURE POINT. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE JEEP DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE 10 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND THAT I SHOULD NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS. FOUND FCA INTERNAL WARRANTY DOCUMENT ID-14-02 FOR THE SUBFRAME CORROSION ISSUE DATED 5/19/14 WHICH REFERS TO FCA SERVICE BULLETIN 23-012-14 AND STATES THAT ALL DEALER PERSONNEL ARE TO BE MADE AWARE OF THIS BULLETIN. I HAVE A RECEIPT FOR OTHER REPAIRS FROM AN FCA DEALER DATED 7/28/14, 2 MONTHS AFTER THE WARRANTY BULLETIN DATE AND THERE WAS NO NOTIFICATION GIVEN ABOUT THE INSPECTION MANDATED UNDER THE WARRANTY AND NOTHING NOTED ON THE RECEIPT. THUS THERE WAS NO WAY FOR ME TO KNOW ABOUT THIS WARANTY AND SAFETY ISSUE WHICH I AM NOW TOLD HAS EXPIRED FOR MY VEHICLE. PER DEALER INSTRUCTION, I CALLED FCA CUSTOMER CARE AND WAS ALSO TOLD THE WARRANTY FOR MY VEHICLE HAD EXPIRED AND MY ONLY CHOICE WAS TO PAY FOR REPAIRS MYSELF. IN SCROLLING THROUGH THE COMPLAINTS ALREADY NOTED IN THE NHTSA SITE, I SEE NUMEROUS MENTIONS OF THIS PROBLEM WITH MANY INDICATING COMPLETE SUBFRAME AND SUSPENSION FAILURE WITH INJURY ONLY BEING PREVENTED BY THE SLOW OPERATING SPEED AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THIS PROBLEM IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WHERE IMPROPER MATERIALS AND/OR COATINGS WERE USED BY FCA ON THESE COMPONENTS. FOR REFERENCE MY 1998 DODGE NEON HAS NO SUCH PROBLEM AFTER 21 YEARS AS IT USED GALVANIZED COATING ON THIS CRITICAL COMPONENT. FCA NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL AND PAY ALL ASSOCIATED COSTS FOR THIS SAFETY RELATED ISSUE AND BE LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES RESULTING FROM THESE FAILURES.