NHTSA Complaint #11678171 — 2018 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving for approximately 10-minutes, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal. The RPM lowered and the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure persisted, and the contact coasted into a parking lot and there was an excessive amount of yellow-grayish smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact exited the vehicle and became aware of an unknown liquid pouring onto the ground underneath the vehicle, with little pieces of debris and sparks igniting underneath the vehicle. While the contact was on the phone with 9-1-1 Emergency Services, there was a popping sound coming from the vehicle and underneath the hood and over the windshield became engulfed in flames. The Fire Department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The contact sustained severe emotional distress because of the failure but had not sought medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow facility where the vehicle remained. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V699000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the Insurance Company had not yet determined if the vehicle was a total loss. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.