NHTSA Complaint #11292211 — 2019 JEEP CHEROKEE

I PURCHASED A NEW 2019 JEEP CHEROKEE ON 6/29/19 WITH LESS THAN 5 MILES ON ODOMETER. ON 9/7/19 (LESS THAN 1K MILES), I STARTED CAR, DROVE HALFWAY DOWN BLOCK AND THE STEERING COMPLETELY LOCKED. POWER STEERING LIGHT WENT ON AND CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE. CALLED DEALERSHIP, WHO WAS VERY ACCOMMODATING, AND THEY TOWED THE CAR AND GAVE US A LOANER. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION SO THEY OPENED A CASE WITH CHRYSLER. AFTER THREE WEEKS, THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A SAFETY ISSUE IN ITSELF SO I DID NOT TAKE THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON LONG TRIPS. FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS, THE REPAIR SEEMED FINE, BUT THEN THE STEERING COLUMN/WHEELS STARTED MAKING LOUD GRINDING NOISES AND THUMPS WHILE PARKING AND PULLING OUT OF PARKING SPACES. NOW IT IS HAPPENING WHILE I AM DRIVING, LOUDER AND LASTING LONGER. I HAVE HAD TWO SCARY INSTANCES OF STEERING/WHEELS GRINDING, THUMPING, LOCKING WHILE CHANGING LANES AND I HAVE NO CONTROL OF THE STEERING FOR 10-20 SEC. IT HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY (12/30/19) WHILE DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT. THE STEERING LOCKED WHILE I MADE A SLIGHT TURN GOING APPROX 5MPH, AND THE GRINDING/THUMPING WAS SO LOUD AND STRONG THAT IT FELT LIKE THE WHOLE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS GOING TO FALL OFF. THIS LASTED LONGER, AROUND 20SEC, AND THEN THE CAR JUST DROVE COMPLETELY NORMAL. I HAVE ALSO HAD MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF FEELING THAT I HAVE ZERO CONTROL OF THE STEERING AND THAT MY WHEELS ARE NOT ON THE ROAD. NO NOISE, NO LOCKING UP, JUST NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AT ALL. THIS IS MY THIRD 4X4 AND MY SECOND JEEP, SO I AM WELL AWARE OF HOW TO DRIVE THE CAR AND HOW IT SHOULD HANDLE. THIS IS NOT NORMAL AND, QUITE HONESTLY, I FEEL LIKE THIS CAR IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE. TAKING BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW SO THEIR REPAIR DEPT CAN TROUBLESHOOT. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE.