NHTSA Complaint #11316728 — 2018 JEEP COMPASS

AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 2020 MY 2018 JEEP COMPASS ENGINE WOULD SEIZE, WHILE I WAS DRIVING. IT WOULD SHUT OFF, AND AUTOMATICALLY PUT ON THE PARKING BRAKE. I WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE, I'D LOSE POWER STEERING, AND THEN IT WOULD STRUGGLE TO RESTART. THIS OBVIOUSLY PUT ME AT HIGH RISK FOR CAUSING AN ACCIDENT OR BEING INVOLVED IN A COLLISION. BEFORE THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN, I WOULD SEE "CANNOT SHIFT WHILE VEHICLE IS IN DRIVE" ON MY DASHBOARD SCREEN. I HAD IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, AS I WAS RIGHTLY TERRIFIED TO DRIVE IT, AND THEY SAID IT WAS A LOOSE ELECTRICAL SHIFTING WIRE. THEY STATED THAT THEY SECURED IT AND THAT IT SHOULD BE FINE. IT HAPPENED AGAIN TWO DAYS LATER, THIS TIME WITH NO DASHBOARD SCREEN INDICATION, ONLY THE D ON MY GEAR STICK FLASHED, AND I BROUGHT IT BACK. UPON INSPECTION THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT I WAS OUT OF OIL AND THIS WAS TRIGGERING THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. I WAS 800 MILES OVER FOR AN OIL CHANGE (THAT I HAD SCHEDULED BUT WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE TO BECAUSE OF THE CAR MALFUNCTIONING) HOWEVER MY CAR HAD GIVEN ME NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER THAT IT NEEDED OIL. I NOW MUST GO BACK TO THE DEALER IN 1000 MILES FOR AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. DEALERSHIP PREDICTS I MAY POSSIBLY NEED A NEW ENGINE. MY CAR ALSO JERKS WHEN I SWITCH GEARS AND AT TIMES IT STRUGGLES TO START. EVEN IF THE ENGINE IS REPLACED THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT THE CAR ENGINE WON'T SEIZE AGAIN IF IT IS LOW ON OIL, OR THINKS IT IS, AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO MANUALLY CHECK THE OIL OF A 2018 VEHICLE THAT I PURCHASED WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT IT WAS SAFE AND RELIABLE. REALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH CHRYSLER. I'VE OWNED JEEPS IN THE PAST THAT WERE GREAT AND LASTED FOREVER. THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT CHRYSLER SHOULD CONSIDER RECALLING THE WHOLE MAKE/MODEL FOR. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE ANYWHERE OR HAVE OTHER PEOPLE IN MY CAR. MY CAR IS A LIABILITY NOT A SAFE PASSENGER VEHICLE.