NHTSA Complaint #765644 — 1995 JEEP CHEROKEE

FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HINGE FAILED. DOOR IS FALLING OFF AND WILL COST $1,600 TO REPAIR. I CONTACTED DAIMLER/CHRYSLER AND ASKED IF THEY WERE AWARE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEMS WITH DOOR HINGES. THEY SAID THEY RESEARCHED IT AND INFORMED THERE HAVE NEVER BEEN ANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 2,500 CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS AND 30,000 WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR 93-95 JEEPS, APPROXIMATELY 10% OF ALL JEEPS MADE IN THOSE YEARS, FOR THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM. CALLED BACK AND SPOKE WITH SENIOR STAFF AGENT LUKE ALWARD. ASKED HIM TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE EVER ANY CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS OR WARRANTY CLAIMS. HE REPLIED THERE HAD NEVER BEEN ANY PROBLEMS, AND WHAT DID I EXPECT WITH AN 8 YEAR OLD CAR WITH 53,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THE DATA THAT DAIMLER HAD PROVIDED TO NHTSA REGARDING 30,000 WARRANTY CLAIMS, HE SAID HE DID NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION. I TOLD HIM I WOULD FAX INFO TO HIM, BUT HE SAID DECISION NOT TO FINANCIALLY REIMBURSE HAD BEEN MADE, AND THERE WAS NO APPEAL PROCESS. I BELIEVE DAIMLER HAS NOT ENGAGED IN FAIR DEALINGS WITH ME. I BELIEVE THE NHTSA SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS PART, SINCE OVER 30,000 PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM, AND DAIMLER CLEARLY PUT OUT A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT.*AK