1996 JEEP CHEROKEE Complaints

I HAD THE JEEP DEALER REPLACE THE FRONT ROTORS ON MY 96 JEEP CHEROKEE COUNTRY PER THE RECALL FROM CHRYSLER. WITHIN 20K MILES THE ROTORS WERE SEVERELY WARPED, HOT SPOTTED AND HAD SMALL CRACKS IN SEVERAL PLACES ON BOTH SIDES OF EACH ROTOR. WHEN THEY WERE TURNED, "SOFT" SPOTS WERE REVEALED IN THE METAL AND BOTH ROTORS - EVEN WHEN TURNED DOWN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE MINIMUM THICKNESS. THEY WERE DEEMED UNSALVAGEABLE AND I HAD TO GET ANOTHER NEW SET LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER RECALL REPLACEMENTS WERE INSTALLED. THE INCIDENT DATE IS APPROXIMATE. I WILL NEED TO FIND THE RECEIPTS TO KNOW THE EXACT DATES. TS

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD THAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FRONT ENGINE MOUNT BOLT HAD SHEARED INTO THE BLOCK CAUSING THE MOTOR TO DROP. TS SCC

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SHIFT GEARS CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

CONSUMER STATES STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE 1/8 OF MILE, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE NOTICED A HEAVY SMOKE UNDER THE DASH, WHICH CAUGHT ON FIRE. TOTAL LOSS OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS

CONSUMER STATES HIS DAUGHTER HAD A HEAD ON COLLISON WITH HIS JEEP AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HE ALSO STATES SHE WAS GOING ABOUT 35-40 MPH AND HIT A TREE.

FUEL PUMP FAILED AND WAS REPLACED ON 9/5/02. PICKED UP JEEP AND IT BROKE DOWN ON THE WAY HOME. WAS TOWED BACK TO SHOP. REPLACED FUEL PUMP 5 MORE TIMES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS AND HAVE BEEN NOTICING A STRONG PETROL SMELL. LAST TIME THE MECHANICS TOLD ME TO PICK UP THE JEEP IT WOULDN'T EVEN START AND THE PETROL SMELL CONTINUED. NOW TOLD BY MANAGER AT THE CHRYSLER SHOP THAT AN INTERNAL MEMO WAS ISSUED IN 1997 STATING THAT 1996 CHEROKEES HAD ALREADY STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM, INCLUDING FAULTY FUEL PUMP SYSTEMS AND CORRODED FUEL TANKS. THEY SAID THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO OTHER THAN REPLACE THE FUEL TANK AT MY COST. CHRYSLER IS HOLDING TRUE TO CHARACTER AND INSISTS THAT A JEEP WITH SO MANY MILES (IT'S A '96 WITH ONLY 58K MILES) WILL HAVE LOTS OF PROBLEMS. THEY DO NOT SEEM TO THINK IT IS STRANGE THAT SUCH A MEMO WAS ISSUED DETAILING CORROSION IN THE TANKS OF A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF '96 JEEPS ONLY ONE YEAR AFTER MANUFACTURING DATE. AM WORRIED ABOUT THE SMELL OF FUEL IN THE CAR AND SAFETY IN THE EVENT OF A SIDE IMPACT ACCIDENT. DT

PUT 4 FUEL PUMPS IN VEHICLE, TOLD IT NEEDED NEW GAS TANK, PLASTIC TANK LINING IS SEPARATING AND CLOGGING FUEL PUMP. DT

CONSUMER STATE WHILE TURNING IGNITION SWITCH VEHICLE WOULD NOT START VEHICLE WAS SERVICE TECHNICIAN NOTICE FUEL PUMP NEED TO BE REPLACE CONSUMER IS NOW ON THIRD FUEL PUMP. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.

REAR BRAKES LOCKED ON AT LEAST 25 OCCASIONS. USUALLY HAPPENS IN FIRST FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING, AND WHEN WET. BRAKES WERE REPAIRED BY DODGE/JEEP DEALER 2 MONTHS AGO STILL LOCKED. CHECKED BY CERTIFIED MECHANIC LAST WEEK, COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. YESTERDAY MORNING AT ABOUT 9:00 A.M. DURING STEADY RAIN, APPLIED BRAKES AT 55 MILES PER HOUR TO SLOW VEHICLE FOR CAR IN FRONT THAT HAD APPLIED BRAKES. BRAKES LOCKED AND VEHICLE FISH TAILED TO RIGHT, SPUN AT LEAST TWICE, TIPPED OVER AND HIT GUARD RAIL AT LEAST TWICE. I WAS EXTRACTED FROM VEHICLE WITH ONLY MINOR CUT TO HAND AND GLASS IN NOSTRIL. VEHICLE IS TOTALED. EARLIER LAST YEAR OUR 25 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER APPLIED BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN AND SIMILAR INCIDENT HAPPENED, WHERE SHE CAME TO REST IN A DITCH. THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM. SUBSEQUENT TO ACCIDENT YESTERDAY, I TALKED WITH TWO OTHER OWNERS OF SAME TYPE VEHICLE WHO EXPERIENCE SAME PROBLEM ON A REGULAR BASIS. REAR BRAKES LOCK, ESPECIALLY FIRST THING IN MORNING AND WHEN THEY ARE WET. CERTIFIED AUTOMOBILE MECHANIC SUGGESTED A COMPONENT THAT CONTROLS HYDRAULIC FLUID TO ALL BRAKES EQUALLY COULD BE THE PROBLEM. WOULD APPRECIATE STATISTICS ON THIS PROBLEM IF AVAILABLE, ESPECIALLY OCCURANCES WHERE ACCIDENTS RESULTED. DT

WHEN DRIVING, IF VEHICLE EXCEEDED OVER THE SPEED OF 50 MPH AND I RAN INTO THE LITTLEST BUMP IN THE ROAD THE TRUCK WILL BE SHAKING, NONE STOP UNTIL I SLOW DOWN BELOW 25 MPH OR IT WILL KEEP SHAKING BADLY. ***DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS****769316. *AK *JB