2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, THE VEHICLE DID NOT START. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY HAD TO BE TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION THEN BACK TO THE ON POSITION IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO START. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, IT WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF THE PARK POSITION UNLESS THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION AND BACK TO THE ON POSITION. THE FAILURE RECURRED CONTINUOUSLY IN COLD WEATHER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

THE 5.7 LITER HEMI MOTOR IN ALL CHRYSLER VEHICLES HAVE THIS SIMILAR ISSUE. THE DRIVER SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS BREAK AND AN EXHAUST LEAK SPUTTERS OUT OF THE DRIVER SIDE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I SPOKE TO SEVERAL MECHANICS AND CHRYSLER SERVICE TECHNICIANS AND THEY ALL CONFIRM IT IS A COMMON REPAIR. I HAVE ALSO SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE. THE COST TO REPLACE THE MANIFOLD AND DRILL OUT THE BROKEN BOLTS IS AROUND $700.00. ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE I STILL BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE RECALLED INSTEAD OF THE MANUFACTURER PASSING THE BILL TO THE CONSUMER. IT OCCURS TO NEARLY ALL 5.7 LITER HEMI ENGINES AT SOME POINT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED WOULDN'T RESTART FOR SEVERAL TRIES THEN FINALLY DID. NEVER STALLED AGAIN UNTIL RECENTLY. SOMETIMES IT STARTS IN NEUTRAL OTHER TIMES IT HAS TO BE PUT IN PARK. UPON RESTART VEHICLE DRIVES AS IF NOTHING HAS EVER HAPPENED. IT NOW STALLS AT IDLE OR WHEN ACCELERATING OR EVEN WHILE DRIVING AT A STEADY RATE OF SPEED. I HAVE BEEN PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE KEY POSITION AND IT SEEMS NORMAL IN THE ON POSITION AND DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THE REASON BEHIND THIS ERRATIC STALL SITUATION. NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS OF SIMILAR SITUATIONS HAVE BEEN NOTED HERE AND ON OTHER WEBSITES. I KEEP MY VEHICLE WELL MAINTAINED AND TUNED, IT RUNS GREAT. MANY TIMES WEEKS OR MONTHS GO BY WITHOUT ANY STALLS. *TR

I FILED MY SECOND COMPLAINT ON 07/14/2014 COMPONENT(S): ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL , UNKNOWN OR OTHER DATE OF INCIDENT: 06/28/2014 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10610308 ON 10/22 I TRANSFERRED MY JEEP TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL TO TOW BEHIND OUR RV. WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE JEEP ELECTRONIC FDCM THREW IT INTO 4WD AND IT LURCHED FORWARD ALMOST HITTING OUR RV AND MY HUSBAND WHO WAS WORKING ON HOOKING UP THE VEHICLE. I WARNED YOUR OFFICE IN JANUARY AND AGAIN IN JULY THAT THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT HAD NO IDEA IT COULD DO THIS!! I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT NEEDING 4WD AND NOT HAVING IT. NOW I AM CONCERNED ABOUT OUR PHYSICAL SAFETY. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO MAKE CHRYSLER FIAT STEP UP, OWN UP THE N23 DEBACLE THAT CAUSED THIS ISSUE AND FIX IT. THEY MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND FIX THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED. PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS COMPLAINT AND JUST ANOTHER JEEP OWNER COMPLAINING ABOUT THE N23 RECALL. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE!!!! *TR

VEHICLE HAS HAD A HISTORY OF UNRESOLVED ELECTRICAL ISSUES BEGINNING AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. IN 2009, THE IGNITION SWITCH BEGAN TO FAIL AND THE KEY FOB WAS REPLACED. DUE TO A VIN NUMBER ISSUE WITH A REPLACEMENT PROGRAM, CHRYSLER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE KEY ASSEMBLIES THOUGH THEY WERE REPLACING IDENTICAL ASSEMBLIES ON OTHER VEHICLES THAT USED THE SAME MODULES. SEVERAL "REPROGRAMMING" HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED TO CLEAR PROBLEMS. SPECIFIC ISSUES INCLUDE: 1. ERRATIC BEHAVIOR OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THAT STEMS FROM THE OPERATION OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. FOR EXAMPLE THE ENGINE WILL START BUT THE VEHICLE WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK AND THE RADIO/NAVIGATION WILL NOT WORK UNTIL YOU JIGGLE THE IGNITION SWITCH AND KEY FOB. 2. CHRONIC FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. YOU CAN BE DRIVING ALONG AT ANY SPEED AND YOU WILL LOSE THROTTLE CONTROL. THIS HAS CAUSED SEVERAL NEAR MISS ACCIDENTS. THE PROBLEM IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND LIGHTING OF AN SPECIFIC IDIOT LIGHT ON THE DASH. HOWEVER, THE LACK OF THROTTLE RESPONSE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN BE RESTORED BY ONLY STOPPING THE VEHICLE AND SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE SEVERAL TIMES TO RESET THE ELECTRONICS. 3. CHRONIC FAILURE OF THE DEALERSHIP TO ADDRESS PROPER CORRECTION OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. VEHICLE WAS COVERED BY A FULL WARRANTY AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT THESE PROBLEMS WERE NEVER REPAIRED. DUE TO SPORADIC AND RANDOM NATURE OF THE SYSTEMS FAULTS, THE DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO MAKE REPAIRS. 4. DEALERSHIPS UNABLE TO CLEAR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND BLAME ISSUES ON THE FACT THIS UNIT HAS A DIESEL ENGINE. LOCAL WATERWAY CAR WASH IS REFUSING TO WASH THESE VEHICLES DUE TO RAPID AND UNATTENDED ACCELERATION ISSUES WHICH HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENTS AT THEIR CAR WASHES. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE DOCUMENTED BY CALLING THEM BY TELEPHONE. THEY CONSIDER THE VEHICLES TO BE A SAFETY RISK. PLEASE HELP! *TR

THIS JEEP HAD THE N23 RECALL DONE AND I POSTED EARLIER ABOUT THE ONGOING PROBLEMS NOT GOING INTO 4 LO AND NEUTRAL...BUT THE PROBLEM IS WORSE THAN BEFORE THE RECALL AND IS A SAFETY ISSUE NOW. THIS PROBLEM IS WORSE ON MINE THAN I FIRST THOUGHT. BUT IF THE INTENT BY CHRYSLER TO SOLVE A SAFETY PROBLEM WITH GOING INTO NEUTRAL UNINTENTIONALLY, WAS THE REASON FOR THE RECALL, THEY FAILED. I JUST DID SOME TESTS ON MY 08 GC AND FOUND: IGNITION ON, MOTOR OFF IN ANY GEAR BUT PARK AND THE TRANSFER CASE IS IN NEUTRAL. IN PARK IT'S LOCKED. MOTOR ON, THE TRANSFER CASE WON'T GO INTO FOR 4 LO OR NEUTRAL AND THE SERVICE "4 WD" COMES ON IMMEDIATELY WHEN TRYING TO GO INTO 4 LO OR NEUTRAL. MY SCANNER SHOWS NO CODES, AND THE MESSAGE ON THE EVIC DISAPPEARS ONCE THE JEEP IS OFF AND THEN RESTARTED. IN SUMMARY, IF THE JEEP STALLS AND THE KEY IS STILL ON, THE TRANSFER CASE IS IN NEUTRAL!!! THIS IS MORE OF A SAFETY ISSUE THAN BEFORE. *TR

CHRYSLER ISSUED A RECALL (N23) FOR PROBLEMS WITH JEEP TRANSFER CASES SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL UNEXPECTEDLY. I'VE SEEN NO POSTS WHERE THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGMENT, I HAD THE RECALL DONE. IMMEDIATELY PEOPLE STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH 4LO NO LONGER WORKING, AND "SERVICE 4WD" MESSAGES SHOWING ON THE DASH. THESE ARE MY SYMPTOMS ALSO. PEOPLE THAT FLAT TOW THE JEEP BEHIND A MOTOR HOME COULD NO LONGER SWITCH THE TRANSFER CASE TO NEUTRAL (IRONIC HUH?). WHAT DOES CHRYSLER DO? THEY DON'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR PROBLEM. A YEAR AFTER THE FIASCO STARTED, THE DEALER THAT DID MY RECALL DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE? APPARENTLY CHRYSLER DEALERS LOADED DEFECTIVE SOFTWARE OR INSTALLED THE SOFTWARE IMPROPERLY. THE SOFTWARE CANNOT BE UNLOADED AND REVERTED TO BEFORE THE RECALL. CHRYSLER'S ANSWER WHEN I CALLED 800 NUMBER YESTERDAY, OVER A YEAR SINCE THIS RECALL FIASCO STARTED, WAS FOR ME TO PAY THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE THE SYMPTOM AND IF THE DIAGNOSTIC CODE IS CORRECT, THEY'LL RELOAD THE SOFTWARE...AFTER I'VE PAID THE SERVICE CALL! THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF POSTS ON LINE ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WITH THE N23 RECALL, BOTH ON AUTOMOTIVE SITES AND RV SITES FROM OWNERS THAT FLAT TOW THEM. AND CHRYSLER HAS THEIR HEAD IN THE SAND...OR ELSEWHERE. THIS IS THE BIGGEST SCAM. PER THE POSTS, CHRYSLER IS CHARGING PEOPLE THOUSANDS TO REPLACE COMPONENTS WHEN IT'S THE RECALL THAT STARTED THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM OCCURS IMMEDIATELY WHEN TRYING TO ACTUATE 4 LO. IT DOESN'T GO INTO 4 LO AND THE SERVICE 4WD MESSAGE OCCURS ON THE INFORMATION CENTER. I HAD TO SHOW THE DEALER THE SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER CALLING ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM, FROM POSTS ON THE WEB. THAT TELLS ME THAT CHRYSLER IS NOT EVEN INFORMING THEIR OWN DEALERS ABOUT THE PROBLEM CREATED BY THE N23 RECALL. AND THE QUADRATRAC II TRANSFER CASE WITH THE 4LO CAPABILITY IS AN OPTION UPGRADE. THE RECALL TAKES AWAY THIS FUNCTIONALITY! *TR

THE VEHICLE HAS TWO CHRONIC PROBLEMS, THE MOST SEVERE OF WHICH IS THAT IT SUDDENLY SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL WHILE BEING DRIVEN, RESULTING IN A SUDDEN & DANGEROUS LOSS OF ACCELERATION AND MANEUVERABILITY . RECOVERY ACTION REQUIRES PULLING OFF THE ROAD TO SHUT OFF AND RE-START THE ENGINE. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST TWENTY TIMES, USUALLY IN DAMP OR RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS. TWO DIFFERENT JEEP DEALERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE PROBLEM! ONE DEALER THOUGHT REPLACING A MODULE FOR ABOUT $900 WOULD SOLVE THE ISSUE BUT IT DID NOT. THE OTHER CHRONIC PROBLEM IS THAT THE CAR SOMETIMES WILL NOT START FOR NO APPARENT REASON! *TR