NHTSA Complaint #11311884 — 2014 JEEP CHEROKEE

FEBRUARY 18, 2020, WHILE DRIVING I-95 N, DOING THE SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH OUR VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING. A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, IT BEEPED, AND SIGNALED "SERVICE POWER STEERING". IMMEDIATELY OUR VEHICLE VIOLENTLY JOLTED. MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO MUSCLE THE CAR TO THE SIDE TO THE ROAD. WE SHUT THE CAR OFF, TURNED IT BACK ON AND REGAINED POWER STEERING. TALK ABOUT A SCARY EXPERIENCE, WE WOULD LOSE AND REGAIN POWER STEERING IN THE MIDDLE OF CURVES, ABRUPTLY JOLTING AND SHAKING THE STEERING WHEEL ALMOST CAUSING ACCIDENTS. WE MADE IT TO THE DEALER AND LEFT IT FOR DIAGNOSTIC. FEBRUARY 22,2020, WE LEFT THE DEALERSHIP HAVING OUR ISSUE "REPAIRED. $3700 DOLLARS LATER, WE FOUND OUT THAT OUR GEARBOX RACK AND PINION HAD GONE BAD CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NOTE, THE CHEROKEE BARELY HAS 37K MILES ON IT! IN FEAR OF LOOSING POWER STEERING AGAIN WE SERVICED THE VEHICLE. THIS WAS 100% OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE AS CHRYSLER FIAT AS WELL AS THE JEEP DEALERSHIP DECLINED ANY RESPONSIBILITY. FEBRUARY 26,2020, JUST 4 DAYS AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE "FIXED" WE LOST POWER STEERING. IT WAS OUR WORST NIGHTMARE ALL OF AGAIN. WE CALLED JEEP, AND WITH LACK OF CONCERN, THEY ADVISED US TO TAKE IT BACK TO SERVICE AS IT COULD NOW BE A DEFECTIVE PART INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. FEBRUARY 28, 2020, IS OUR SECOND SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH JEEP, HOWEVER WE ARE AFRAID THIS IS A DEEPER ISSUE THAN MEETS THE EYE. WE NO LONGER FEEL SAFE AND FEAR FOR CATASTROPHIC INJURY FOR US AND OTHERS. WE FEAR FOR OTHERS THAT MIGHT POTENTIALLY HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR CHEROKEES. FOR ANYONE THAT IS READING THIS, HAVE YOUR CAR LOOKED AT, YOU MIGHT NOT BE AS LUCKY AS WE WERE. GOD FORBID WE WERE ON A SWITCHBACK ROAD AND LOST POWER STEERING IN THE MIDDLE OF A SHARP TURN. WE WOULD HAVE GONE OFF THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. JEEP NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BEFORE ANYONE GETS SERIOUSLY INURED.