NHTSA Complaint #11610011 — 2017 JEEP RENEGADE

On 7/26/2024 I was driving my 2017 Jeep Renegade 1.4L Eastbound on I-70 going ~65mph. My dash had zero warning lamps or messages and there were no other symptoms of any problem yet suddenly at mile marker 188 my engine had no power, abundant smoke exited my tailpipe and engine, and I was forced to immediately pull over into a shallow construction zone with heavy interstate traffic whizzing past us. I turned my vehicle off and just turned the power back on for any information. Only then did the check engine light illuminate. I searched through my dash indicators and saw that there was simply no reading for Oil Temperature. I have immaculate maintenance records since the day I purchased my vehicle in 2019 including regular full synthetic oil and filter changes (on average 2,989 miles for years). I had two multi-point vehicle inspections at my original dealer (my due diligence maintenance before my extended warranty expired) around 2,000 miles, an oil change 1,038 miles, and a cooling system pressure test at 1,029 miles before this incident occurred. I had two independent, certified mechanic companies diagnose and confirm my vehicle condition: Cylinder 1 had no compression with a crack in the piston. My vast research on Jeep Renegades with 1.4L and 2.4L engines validates all my issues. I believe this catastrophic engine failure at a shocking odometer reading of 61,881 is due to a defect and it puts me and others at major safety risk. This was my second financially offensive event as my first involved having to replace my clutch system at mile 45,057 for ~$4,500 despite having owned and properly operated other manuals with no issue for years. In addition to the cost of maintenance, multiple expensive repairs, numerous towing events, mechanic diagnostics, renting cars when this Jeep failed me, I am now looking at a $10,000 engine fix for a historically unreliable vehicle. (Records and vehicle inspection available upon request)