NHTSA Complaint #11467385 — 2017 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

On April 11, 2022, after driving home from work I noticed oil dripping onto my driveway. I opened the hood of the vehicle and discovered that my cooling system was completely filled with oil and there wasn't any noticeable coolant left in the system. I then checked the oil level via dipstick, and found there to be an extremely low level of oil in the engine. Prior to pulling into the driveway, there were no warning lights, no check engine light, or low oil lights on the dashboard. Nothing to indicate a potentially serious issue. The vehicle was then towed to a Jeep dealership for repair. The dealer indicated, both on the paperwork and over the phone, that the Engine Oil Adapter Housing (Mopar Part 68308741-AF) was leaking internally, causing the oil to be redirected into the cooling system and displacing the coolant (see attached invoice from Jeep). Most of the cooling system had to be replaced due to oil contamination. This part failure could have been catastrophic had I been traveling down the road or the freeway, as a loss of oil in the engine and a cooling system not properly functioning, could have caused the engine to fail while at speed leading to a loss of power steering and braking, and possibly resulting in a crash. Additionally, as previously mentioned, no warning lights or indicators were visible at any time. From talking to the dealership and researching online, this part failure is common on all 3.2L and 3.6L Pentastar V6 engines. The dealership, at the time of my vehicles repair, had three other FCA/Stellantis vehicles in for the exact same issue. This component is made of plastic and is located directly on top of the engine block, and below the intake manifold. This area can get very hot and cause the plastic to become brittle and crack without warning. The original failed component was taken by the dealership, and I do not have it on hand. The vehicle has been serviced by the dealership, and it currently in working order. FCA is aware of the issue.