NHTSA Complaint #11447530 — 2021 JEEP GLADIATOR

The failure of the vehicle’s safety condition check for an empty driver’s seat for an auto stop indicates that the “Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)” and/or the “Advanced Front Air Bag system” are not receiving proper information. This creates a serious safety hazard as the front air bags may not deploy or may not “adjust the inflation rate of the Advanced Front Air Bags” as specified in the owner’s manual. For driver safety, these systems and their associated sensors should be fully examined and tested. The vehicle auto stops when the driver’s seat is not occupied, in direct conflict with owner’s manual. The owner’s manual specifically states that if the “Driver’s seat is not occupied” that the “engine will not stop.” Note that this system safety check is separate and distinct from the “Driver’s seat belt is not buckled” check. The vehicle fails to properly check for the empty driver’s seat safety condition before initiating an auto stop. The associated auto stop malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 Jeep dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“, despite the vehicle operating in violation of the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.