NHTSA Complaint #714161 — 1995 JEEP CHEROKEE

I ACQUIRED THIS VEHICLE SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE IT HAD 4-WHEEL ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. A FEW WEEKS AGO, FOR THE FIRST TIME, I HAD TO PERFORM A "HARD BRAKE" TO AVOID HITTING THREE DEER. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, I HAD "HARD PEDAL" BUT VIRTUALLY NO BRAKES! I NARROWLY AVOIDED ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND LIMPED INTO MY DRIVEWAY. NOONE COULD UNDERSTAND HOW I COULD HAVE HARD PEDAL WITHOUT BRAKES. (ALL RELAYS PROVED TO BE OKAY.) I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL TIRE DEALER TO SEE IF THEY COULD DETERMINE WHAT WAS WRONG. THEY WERE ASTONISHED TO FIND THAT BOTH ROTORS HAD SEPARATED FROM THEIR HUBS AS THE RESULT OF THE HARD BRAKE. THEY ADVISED THAT THEY THOUGHT IT HAD TO BE A DEFECT IN THE METAL AND ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT TO MY LOCAL JEEP DEALER, COOPER MOTORS, IN STEVENS POINT, WISCONSIN. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT COOPER MOTORS WAS SO ASTONISHED TO SEE THE SEPARATED PARTS, THAT HE CALLED ALL THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS TO THE COUNTER TO SEE THE PARTS. HOWEVER, MOST OF THEM ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE ON A ROUTINE BASIS. IF JEEP ROTOR ARE SEPARATING FROM THEIR HUBS AND CAUSINIG ACCIDENTS, WHO WOULD KNOW? IF IT WERE DISCOVERED DURING A CRASH INVESTIGATION, IT WOULD BE ASSUMED THAT IT WAS THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE ACCIDENT, WHILE, IN FACT IT MAY ACTUALLY BE THE CAUSE! JEEP'S COMMENTS WERE TO ADVISE ME THAT ROTORS WERE ONLY WARRANTEED TO 10,000 MILES; NO MENTION THAT ONE SHOULD EXPECT ROTORS TO DIS-ATTACH!