NHTSA Complaint #715462 — 1996 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A ROLL OVER ACCIDENT WHILE SWERVING TO AVOID A DEER. THE JEEP DID A SLOW ROLL ONTO ITS ROOF. THE SPEED INVOLVED WAS NOT VERY HIGH BECAUSE THE JEEP DID NOT SLIDE FOR ANY DISTANCE ON THE ROOF. ALL REPAIRS HAD BEEN COMPLETED WHEN WE NOTICE A THUMPING NOISE IN THE LEFT FRONT OF THE JEEP WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPS. IT TOOK A NUMBER OF MONTHS TO DETERMINE THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE LEFT FRONT SWAY BAR LINK. THE LINK HAS A BALL JOINT PROTECTED BY A RUBBER BOOT. THE BOOT HID THE FACT THAT THE BALL WAS LOOSE FROM THE SOCKET AND THE NOISE WAS THE BALL SLAMMING IN AND OUT OF THE SOCKET. I PERSONALLY REPLACED THE LINK NOT MAKING THE CONNECTION TO THE ROLL OVER ACCIDENT UNTILL SOME TIME LATER. DURING A DISCUSSION WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY IT DAWNED ON ME THAT THE LINK MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ROLL OVER. THE JEEP ROLLED TO THE RIGHT. IF THE BALL JOINT ON THE LEFT FRONT SWAY BAR SEPARATED DURING MY SON'S ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE DEER THEN A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER BODY ROLL ANGLE WOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED WITHOUT THE COUNTERING EFFECTS OF THE SWAYBAR. I FEEL THIS PROBLEM HAS A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE VEHICLES CAPABILITY TO LIMIT BODY ROLL DURING AN ATTEMPT TO SWERVE AND AVOID A ROAD HAZARD OF ANY KIND. JEEP HAS COMPLETELY REDISIGNED THE SWAYBAR LINK ON NEWER GRAND CHEROKEES. THE BALL JOINT SWAYBAR LINK ON THE 1996 MODEL HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED BY ANOTHER PART AND IS STILL OUT THERE ON ALL 1996 GRAND CHEROKEES. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD AND AM THANK FULL THAT MY SON WAS NOT TRAVELING AT A HIGHER SPEED WHEN THE ROLL OVER OCCURRED. *AK