NHTSA Complaint #11633539 — 2014 JEEP WRANGLER

Starting in March of 2024 the vehicle began to leak copious amounts of oil. This was noted once the vehicle was parked after driving. It was anywhere from the size of a half dollar to a dinner plate size of oil pooled underneath the oil filter housing on the ground. At this time the Jeep had approximately 103,000 miles. While diagnosing the issue, I had to consistently add many quarts of oil to keep the vehicle operating. During the diagnosis stage, there were many instances where a strong burning smell became obvious from the engine compartment. After consulting with two independent certified mechanics, it was determined that the oil filter housing had become compromised and was the source of the oil leak. The cost for repair was $175 for the part and $950 for labor, plus $200 for a rental. Both mechanics that diagnosed the issue advised they both had replaced this same part on many other Jeep Wrangler JK between the years of 2014-16. While the burning smell was indicative of a possible fire at some point, one mechanic did say one other jeep that had this part fail did catch on fire due to the oil running down through the heated engine as this part is made of plastic and situated on the top side of the engine. Fires were most certainly a life safety concern as this is my primary vehicle for myself and children. The vehicle had all of its maintenance current and properly done, there was no accident or incident to cause this part to crack other than a poor design with cheap parts. The oil clean up during the fix was extensive as it had pooled and ran into multiple locations on the engine. I did not have the vehicle inspected by the manufacturer as it was no longer under warranty and it would have cost even more to have them do the work. No warnings, not even a low oil pressure or check engine light came on. It was the burning smell and oil loss that was visibly noted that identified an issue.