NHTSA Complaint #11361743 — 2014 JEEP CHEROKEE

THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON MULTIPLE TIMES (FIRST DAY 10/4/2019 DRIVING LOCALLY), REGARDING SERVICING THE TRANSMISSION, BRAKE AND AIRBAG AFTER STARTING AND IN A NON-MOVING MODE. ON THE SECOND DAY OF OWNERSHIP 10/5/2019, I TOOK IT TO THE CLOSEST JEEP DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM CHECK ON THE WARNING LIGHT. THE TECH ADVISOR GAVE ME A PRINT OUT OF ALL THE ERROR CODES SHOWING (QUITE A FEW). ON THE SIXTH DAY 10-10-2019, I ONLY HAD DRIVEN IT LOCALLY WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF THE DRIVE GEAR WHEN I WAS AT A STOP SIGN. THE DRIVE TRANSMISSION WASN'T ENGAGING WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL. I PUT IT IN 'PARK' AND THEN BACK INTO 'DRIVE', AND IT THEN WENT FORWARD. I DROVE HOME, AND I PARKED THE JEEP IN MY YARD. I DIDN'T DRIVE IT AGAIN WITH A REAL CONCERN THAT THE JEEP WASN'T SAFE TO DRIVE AND NOT WANTING TO GET STRANDED ALONG A ROAD SOMEWHERE. IN 11/2019, I NEXT DROVE THE JEEP IN MY ATTEMPT TO GET IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE THE DIAGNOSTICS DONE TO FIND OUT THE EXACT ISSUES. THE TRANSMISSION DID THE SAME THING AND SLIPPED OUT OF 'DRIVE' IN BUSY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC IN ROUTE ON A 5 LANE HIGHWAY AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AFTER STOPPING AND GIVING GAS TO MOVE FORWARD. THIS TIME IT TOOK FOUR ATTEMPTS (PLACING IN PARK AND THEN DRIVE) BEFORE THE JEEP WOULD DRIVE FORWARD. I MADE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP ON A PRAYER FIVE MINUTES FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD. THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS (12/18-2019) WAS THAT THE JEEP NEEDS A TRANSMISSION/ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. 'THERE IS A BRAKE IN THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE CIRCUIT FOR COMMUNICATION AND DEPENDING ON HOW THE ENGINE FLEX'S, THE COMMUNICATION LINE DROPS OUT AND CAUSES THE TCM TO GO OFFLINE'. ON 4/12/2020, I TOOK PHOTOS OF THE CODE FLASHING (SEE ATTACHED IMAGES). IT WOULDN'T START. ONE WEEK LATER, IT STARTED AND I DROVE IT IN MY YARD TO PARK IT FARTHER OUT OF MY MAIN DRIVEWAY. THERE IT HAS SAT FOR A FEW MONTHS.