NEWS:
Chrysler Expands Jeep Commander Stalling Recall
Transmission software will be reprogrammed
ConsumerAffairs.com -- May 7,
2008 -- Chrysler is expanding the recall of Jeep Commander SUVs
to repair engine stalling that has endangered scores of Jeep
owners.
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that the automaker has
now recalled 24,461 2006 Jeep Commanders to reprogram automatic
transmission software in Jeeps equipped with the 4.7 liter
engine.
NHTSA warned Commander owners
that the software glitch could cause a crash without warning.
NHTSA opened an investigation of
the 2007 Jeep Wrangler SUV last year following at least 53
reports of the engine stalling at highway speeds.
That investigation involved
35,000 vehicles, according to NHTSA.
At the time, NHTSA reported that
the agency had received complaints of engine stalls at highway
speeds that included 12 cases with a loss of electrical power
and lighting.
The latest Jeep Commander recall
involves computer software in the automatic transmission control
module of the 2006 Commander. Jeep dealers will reprogram the
software in 2006 Jeep Commanders built before January 11, 2006.
In a limited action, Chrysler
recalled 1,338 of the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander
earlier this year to repair a stalling problem in the vehicles.
In that recall, NHTSA reported that the the front control
module may have been incorrectly manufactured," and could cause
the engine to stall while driving or not start.
Jeep owners describe the stalling
condition as frightening. On May 6, a Galveston, Indiana woman
struggled with a stalled Jeep.
Everything just completely shuts
down and I am unable to steer and have to restart the engine,
Cathleen wrote ConsumersAffairs.Com. This has happened 3 to 4
times now and the dealer says there is nothing they can find
wrong with my vehicle. It happened again today while in a
parking lot.
Consumers reported that in many
cases Jeep dealers are unable to fix the stalling.
I have had my Jeep in and out of
the shop in regards to it stalling all of a sudden, a Wisconsin
woman reported to ConsumerAffairs.Com. Each possibility
proposed to me is not a sure fix and is very expensive, she
said.
In San Francisco, a
ConsumersAffairs.Com reader said the stalling problem behind two
Chrysler recalls is not limited to the new Commander. I have a
1997 Jeep Laredo that I purchased over 2 years ago from a used
car dealer. The stalling problem started around January 2008,
she said. I was going 60 mph on the highway and it just died.
Jeep owners can contact Chrysler
about the stalling problems at 1-800-853-1403 or NHTSA at
1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).
MORE RECALL
INFORMATION:
Jeep Commander
Jeep Grand
Cherokee