2008 JEEP WRANGLER 4-DR 4X4 Complaints

AS THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING AT NIGHT ON A TWO-LANE COUNTRY ROAD AT 35 MPH, THE ELECTRICAL POWER OF THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF, INCLUDING HEADLIGHTS, RADIO, INTERIOR POWER, VENTILATION, AND ENGINE. THE DURATION OF THE OUTAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 SECONDS. THIS POWER OUTAGE OCCURRED JUST PRIOR TO A CURVE AND CAUSED LOSS OF VISION AND ABS BRAKING, CAUSING A SKID AND NARROWLY MISSED COLLIDING WITH A GUARDRAIL. THE POWER THEN CAME BACK ON, AND ALL SYSTEMS APPEARED TO RETURN TO NORMAL. THERE APPEARS TO BE A POWER DISTRIBUTION PROBLEM THAT AFFECTED THE OPERABILITY OF THE VEHICLE, CREATING A HAZARDOUS CONDITION. BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR CHECK OUT OK, SO A POWER SUPPLY PROBLEM IS NOT A ROOT CAUSE OF THE ISSUE.

08 WRANGLER HAS HEAT ISSUES WITH DRIVER SIDE BLOWING COLD AIR AND PASSENGER HOT. WITH RECENTLY THE BLOWER HARDLY WORKING. RESEARCHED THIS QUITE A BIT ONLINE AND SEEMS IS A VERY COMMON AND COSTLY ISSUE WITH THE WRANGLERS. POOR CRAFTSMANSHIP WITHIN HEATER CORE AND OTHER HEAT COMPONENTS SEEM TO BE THE CULPRIT. UNFORTUNATE JEEP DOES NOT STAND BY THEIR VEHICLES AS THIS APPEARS TO BE A LARGE ISSUE AND NOT COVERED UNDER ANY KIND OF VOLUNTARY REPAIRS.

SHORTLY AFTER I BOUGHT MY 2008 JEEP WRANGLER IN 2015 FROM THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP IT STARTED TO INTERMITTENTLY NOT START. IT WOULDN'T EVEN TURN OVER. HAD IT TOWED TO THE SAME LOCAL JEEP DEALER THAT I BOUGHT IT FROM AND THEY CHECKED IT OUT. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A FAULTY TIPM. THEY REPLACED THE FAULTY TIPM AND NOW TWO YEARS LATER IT IS DOING THE SAME THING.

TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE (TIPM) ITEM HAS FAILED , CAUSING ME TO REPLACE OTHER PARTS DIAGNOSED BY PCM AS BEING FAULTY, BUT REPLACING THOSE PARTS RESULTED IN SAME ERROR CODES. ACTUAL FAULT FOUND TO BE A FAILING TIPM. I HAVE CONSTANT ERROR CODES, RANDOM HORN, OR LACK OF HORN, RANDOM ACTUATING OF STABILITY CONTROL CAUSING ONE CORNER OF JEEP TO BRAKE SUDDENLY AND GIVING THE STABILITY CONTROL WARNING LIGHT. RANDOM POWER AND FUEL ECONOMY PROBLEMS. SPENT +$600 IN PARTS THAT DID NOT FIX WHAT JEEP SAID WAS PROBLEM, WHEN PROBLEM IS TIPM GIVING THE PROBLEM. JUST WAITING TO SEE IF BURSTS INTO FLAMES, AS HAVE SMELLED HOT WIRES COMING FROM IT RECENTLY. THIS HAS OCCURRED WHILE STATIONARY AND IN WHILE MOTION.

ON MY JEEP WRANGLER THE TIPM WENT OUT. I UNDERSTAND THAT 2008 JEEP WRANGLER HAVE THIS AS A RECALL BUT THEY HAVE TOLD ME MY VIN NUMBER HASN'T SHOWN UP TO BE A PROBLEM YET OR NEXT IN LINE FOR THIS RECALL. IS THERE A WAY I CAN GET MY JEEP VIN TO SHOW SO I CAN GET THIS FIXED. WHIPPERS ARE GOING OFF EVEN THO ITS OFF. DASH LIGHTS WON'T TURN ON OR SHOW I HAVE ANY FUEL. I CAN NOT CHANGE THE GEAR.

AS THE OTHER FILED COMPLAINTS STATE FUEL SPRAYS FROM THE FILLER WHEN THE TANK NEARS FULL. MINE WILL SPRAY AND THERE IS STILL AVAILABLE SPACE FOR 2-3 GALLONS OF GAS IN THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD. WITH THE VOLUME OF COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS I SEE ON FORUMS AND OTHER PLACES ONLINE THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT NOR HAS JEEP MADE ANY EFFORT TO RECTIFY THE ISSUE AT THEIR EXPENSE. I DID NOT IN GOOD FAITH PURCHASE A VEHICLE THAT WOULD RUIN MY FINISH, RUIN MY CLOTHES AND POUR GAS ON THE GROUND. I WOULD HOPE SOMEONE WOULD HOLD THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE AND MAKE THIS ISSUE A RECALL AND NOT JUST A TSB - INFECT MULTIPLE TSB'S FOR THE SAME ISSUE - JEEP YOU HAVE A REAL PROBLEM AND YOU SHOULD FIX IT.

THE FUEL SYSTEM DOES NOT SEEM TO RESPOND TO THE SHUT-OFF MECHANISM, WHICH MEANS GAS SPILLS OUT ONTO THE GROUND, THE CAR AND EVEN THE OWNER. THIS PROBLEM HAS GONE ON EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT COULD VERY WELL CAUSE SOMEONE TO GET HURT OR DEAD. I UNDERSTAND THE NHTS HAS 'REVIEWED' THE COMPLAINT AND DETERMINED THAT THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM BUT IT WILL BE FAIR IF THE NHTS COULD RE-OPEN THIS CASE.

MY JEEP STARTED SMOKING 1/2 MILE FROM HOME. TEMP GAUGE AND DASH LIGHTS GAVE NO INDICATION OF TROUBLE. BY 1/4 MILE THE TRANS WAS SLIPPING AND THE BRAKES HAD FAILED. I WAS ABLE TO NURSE IT INTO MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND SOMEONE SAID THEY SAW FLAME. I OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW A GLOW FROM UNDER THE CAR BUT ON TOP OF THE TRANSMISSION. I ALSO SAW I WAS LEAKING TRANS FLUID. WE USED WATER AND THEN A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO TRY TO PUT IT OUT. 5 MINUTES LATER IT WAS FULLY ENGULFED AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ON IT'S WAY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF BIG CALLED BUT THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE DONE. THE JEEP WAS A TOTAL LOSS.

MY VEHICLE IS STARTING TO SHOW SYMPTOMS OF THE TIPM FAILING. MY DOORS ARE UNLOCKING BY THEMSELVES, AND SOMETIMES THEY WON'T LOCK. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS NOW FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH. IT LEFT ME STRANDED TWICE NOW WITH A DEAD BATTERY. IT ALL START WITH THE DING AND THE SECURITY LIGHT COMING ON AND OFF.

DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON A MODERATELY HOT DAY (91 DEG AT START OF DRIVE, 80 DEG AT TIME OF INCIDENT ABOUT 55 MINUTES AFTER START), SOME STOP-N-GO TRAFFIC FIRST 40 MINUTES, THEN A STEADY NORMAL CLIMB INTO FOOTHILLS (FROM ABOUT 5400' TO 8200') ON PAVED ROADS, AS VEHICLE WAS TURNING RIGHT AT A Y-INTERSECTION AT TOP OF A HILL, A LARGE BANG WAS HEARD IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FOLLOWED BY EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF GREY SMOKE EMANATING FROM SAME. ENGINE TEMPERATURE WAS NORMAL AT THE TIME (FAN HAD ENGAGED A FEW TIMES ALONG THE WAY TO KEEP WITHIN RANGE) AND NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE PRESENT BEFORE OR AFTER INCIDENT. IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND OPENED HOOD. WITHIN ABOUT A MINUTE OF STOPPING A SMALL FIRE BROKE OUT ABOVE THE DRIVERS SIDE MANIFOLD/CAT. I WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH USING A TOWEL, BUT NOT BEFORE THE FIRE HAD MELTED SOME WIRE BUNDLES. INITIAL INSPECTION INDICATED A POWER STEERING (ATF) FLUID RUPTURE THAT SPRAYED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, SUBSEQUENTLY FLASHING FROM THE HEAT OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. FORTUNATELY, SITUATION WAS HANDLED QUICKLY BEFORE THE CAR BECAME ENGULFED (AS I'VE NOW LEARNED HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WITH THIS VEHICLE MODEL). VEHICLE IS BEING TOWED TO JEEP DEALER TOMORROW FOR REPAIR. I HAVE NOT YET HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH JEEP REGARDING THIS INCIDENT, BUT FEEL A FAULTY DESIGN HAS PUT MY SAFETY AT RISK. I WILL HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION TO THIS SUBMISSION ONCE AVAILABLE...