2006 JEEP COMMANDER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO SUDDEN ACCELERATION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON THE NORTHWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED OF ABOUT 90 MPH. AT THE TIME, THE CONSUMER WAS ABOUT FIVE CAR LENGTHS FROM AN AUTOMOBILE AHEAD OF HIM IN THE SAME LANE, AND IN 10 SECONDS HE WAS JUST A FEW FEET OF OVERTAKING AND CRASHING INTO THE VEHICLE. HE APPLIED THE BRAKE, THEN THE ACCELERATOR, REPEATING IT OVER AND OVER, BUT TO NO AVAIL, UNABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP OR EVEN SLOW IT DOWN. REALIZING THAT CRASHING INTO THE VEHICLE WAS IMMINENT, HE MADE AN OBLIQUE TURN INTO THE TRAFFIC LANE TO HIS LEFT AND CONTINUED AT 90 MPH WITH THE ENGINE SCREAMING AND WITH THE THRUST OF A ROCKET, HIS FOOT WAS ON THE ACCELERATOR, TRYING TO SHUT THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED ON AT A HIGH SPEED FOR ANOTHER 10 OR 15 SECONDS AND THEN THE SITUATION CORRECTED ITSELF AND IT SETTLED DOWN TO 50 MPH. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHERE AN INSPECTION REVEALED THE THROTTLE BODY PLATE WAS FULL OF CARBON AND THAT INTERFERED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE THROTTLE CAUSING THE SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE.
2007
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
I VISITED A DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE WHY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON IN MY VEHICLE, AS WELL AS TO DIAGNOSE WHY IT WAS LOSING ACCELERATION WHEN APPROACHING HIGHWAY SPEED. AFTER ABOUT HALF AN HOUR, I WAS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR, THAT, їTHEY HAVE BEEN SEEING A LOT OF THISї AND THE CAUSE WAS THE GEAR SHIFTER CONSOLE WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SHE FOLLOWED THIS BY STATING THE REPLACEMENT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND PROVIDED ME WITH THE ESTIMATED COST. PERPLEXED, I INQUIRED AS TO WHETHER THE CAUSE WAS DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR AND COULD THIS HAVE BEEN PREVENTED THROUGH SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. MS. HAWKINS RESPONSE WAS їNOї. FURTHER CONFUSED, I INQUIRED AS TO WHY WOULD THE REPLACEMENT THEN BE THE CONSUMERїS RESPONSIBILITY, AS IT WOULD APPEAR TO ME TO HAVE BEEN A MANUFACTURING MALFUNCTION. THE REP'S RESPONSE WAS MERELY THE SAME, THE SERVICES ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND IF NOT REPLACED THE VEHICLE COULD GET LOCKED IN THE PARKED POSITION WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THUS I WAS FORCED TO COMPLY PAYING MORE THAN $600 IN REPAIRS. *TR