NHTSA Complaint #11289886 — 2017 JEEP PATRIOT

WHAT HAPPENED: WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH I HEARD A LOUD BANG AND SWERVING OF THE VEHILCE WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A FLAT TIRE. I FOUND THAT THE LEFT REAR WHEEL FELL OFF CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHICH I WAS ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT CRASHING DUE TO MY EMERGENCY VEHICLE DRIVING WITH THE STATE PATROL. WHEN STOPPED SAW THAT THE WHEEL HAD FALLEN OFF AND THE CONTROL ARM BROKEN. (PHOTO) DIAGNOSIS: NORTH BEND CHEV REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE LEFT REAR CONTROL ARM HAD SEVERED (PHOTOS) IN HALF DAMAGING THE AXLE. THE THREADS ON THE INSIDE OF THE CONTROL ARM APPEAR TO BE WORN AWAY. THE DEFECTIVE CONTROL ARM WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE WHICH IS A SINGLE PIECE WITHOUT A DETACHABLE THREADED PART AND THIS PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN KNOWN BY JEEP. REPAIRS: COST $1392 (BILL ATTACHED). THE RIGHT CONTROL ARM WAS INSPECTED BUT NOT REPLACED WITH THE IMPROVED PART. MY CONCERNS: MINUTES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT I HAD DRIVEN DOWN A STEEP CURVING SECONDARY ROAD WHERE THIS WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL AND CRASHING AS WELL AS POSSIBLY A COLLISION WITH ONCOMING TRRAFFIC. A MINUTE LATER I WOULD HAVE ENTERED THE INTERDATE AT 60-870 MPH AND A CATASTROPHINC CRASH WOULD HAVE RESULTED, POSSIBLY INVOLVING MULTIPLE VEHICLES. IF THE BROKEN CONTROL ARRM COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED AS THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED THE RESULT OF AN 84 YEAR OLD MAN DRIVING HAVING A POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK/MEDICAL PROBLEM RATHER THAN A VEHICLE FAILURE. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY THAT THIS HAPPENED AT A SLOW SPEED AT THE PLACE IT HAPPENED. REMEDY: I FEEL THAT THIS IS AN UNDETECTED FAILURE OF THE CONTROL ARM WHICH WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN DETECTED DURING NORMAL VEHICLE MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS. I CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE DRIVING THIS MODEL VEHICLE AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR A POSSIBLE RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE'S LIFE IS JEOPARDIZED.