NHTSA Complaint #11394509 — 2015 JEEP CHEROKEE

I DROVE 365 HIGHWAY MILES, THE LAST 20 OF WHICH WERE ON WINDING UPHILL MOUNTAIN ROADS, STOPPING AT MY MOUNTAIN CABIN, WITH NO ISSUES. PARKED, WITH ENGINE OFF, TO SHOVEL SNOW ALLOWING ACCESS TO STEEP SNOW-COVERED DRIVEWAY. UPON COMPLETION AND RESTARTING MY VEHICLE, I ATTEMPTED TO ENTER 4WD LOW TO PROCEED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. WOULD NOT ENTER LOW, DISPLAYING "4WD NOT AVAILABLE'. REPEATED ATTEMPTS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, WITH ADDITIONAL ERRORS DISPLAYING: "SERVICE ENGINE', "SERVICE SHIFTER', "SERVICE P BRAKE". DECIDED TO ATTEMPT DRIVING IN 4WD (ONLY); VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF NEUTRAL. SHIFTER WAS PHYSICALLY LOCKED IN POSITION. KEPT FUSSING, WHILE ALL ERROR MESSAGES BEING DISPLAYED ALTERNATELY. IT EVENTUALLY COUPLE BE SHIFTED (WITH NORMAL EFFORT); UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS NOW REVERSE NOT DRIVE (WHICH I NEEDED). UPON ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT TO DRIVE, IT STUCK IN NEUTRAL ON ITS WAY TO DRIVE. AGAIN LOCKED IN PLACE. EVENTUALLY UNLOCKED AND COULD BE SHIFTED; BUT WAS NOW WARY OF DESCENDING THE DRIVEWAY AND DECIDED TO DRIVE IT A BIT TO TEST. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH IT MIGHT BE UNLOCKING AFTER A TIMEOUT PERIOD, SO START A STOPWATCH ON MY PHONE. EVENTUALLY DETERMINE THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS TIMING OUT AFTER 4:30, AND COULD BE SHIFTED, WITH ALL SHIFTS BEING VERY HARD AND LOUD. FINALLY GOT IT IN DRIVE AND DROVE THE ~3 MILE LOOP OF PLOWED, BUT STILL SNOWY AND SLOPPY ROADWAY; ON THIS TEST DRIVE, WITH ALL MESSAGES STILL ON AND ALTERNATING, IT BECAME CLEAR I HAD ONLY REAR WHEEL DRIVE AND WAS IN A SINGLE GEAR SPEED, ALLOWING ONLY SLOW STARTING AND POOR STOPPING, WITH SPEEDS OF 20 MPH PER 1,000 RPM. AFTER A FEW WIFI CALLS FROM MY DRIVEWAY TO NEIGHBORS AND MY JEEP DEALER'S SERVICE MANAGER; DECIDED TO RETURN TO TOWN FOR REPAIRS. EACH PASSAGE THRU NEUTRAL LOCKING THE TRANSMISSION FOR 4:30, AND ALL SHIFT INTO EITHER GEAR, EXTREMELY "HARD"