NHTSA Complaint #11465077 — 2003 JEEP LIBERTY

The airbag deployed on my wife that was in her third trimester pregnancy while driving on the highway, which left the baby and my wife at risk. She was sent to the emergency for abdominal trauma. Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, or RAM dealer were unable to locate a recall number for the Jeep Airbag System Occupant Restraint Control (ORC) module. It was a very long process and Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, or Ram dealership located on I-10 kept giving us different responses about our airbag being at the dealership and then later finding out that they did not have the airbag in stock. The dealership offered $500 to keep the vehicle, but I refused and just wanted them to repair the airbag. The dealership kept calling us to pick up the vehicle and in order to do that, we would have to get it towed to where we lived. Luckily, a staff member at the dealership informed us that if we were to pick up the Jeep at that time then we would be fully responsible for it and could not hold the dealership accountable if something worse happened. Instead of following through with towing it, we did our own research and discovered that there were several similar testimonies about this issue for the same year make and model, (2003 Jeep Liberty). We called corporate several times and they were unable to locate the recall number nor give us a solution. After several months had passed, we finally received a recall number via text and email from Mopar.com. ( FCA Recall # R06). We then contacted the dealership with the recall number and confirmed that this was an issue that needed to be taken care of. They took several months to locate an airbag and finally repair the ORC module. Once the vehicle was ready for pick up, they did not exactly walk us through the vehicle and new parts installed. The Jeep was in poor condition; it was left outside, uncovered, and paint is now peeling. Seatbelts do not spring back, dash lights are dim and steering is screeching, engine light is on. This took a total of 8 months.