Hi everyone,
First post here, but long-time lurker. I have posted this on Reddit as well as several other Wrangler forums. I drive a 2017 White Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Hard Rock which has 24,500 miles and is still under Jeep's standard warranty. On Sunday, April 29th 2018 my girlfriend and I were driving home from our cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. We were driving south on highway 14 near California City. It was quite a windy day and I was driving 60mph when suddenly the two hood latches and the middle latch failed causing the hood to slam into the windshield.
My vision completely blocked by the hood and my life flashing before my eyes, I navigated the vehicle to the side of the road. My girlfriend and our cat suffered no visible injuries, but the windhsield was shattered and there was significant damage to the hood, windshield frame, windshield, and parts of the roof. I have AAA, but as we were far out they would only tow us 7 miles for free. The closest dealership was Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Lancaster, California 45 miles away so we were towed there for a $231 expense. It was around 9pm when we arrived so we put the keys in the deposit box, left the car, and left a note indicating what happened and asked for repairs and reimbursement of tow expense per the warranty policy.
The warranty policy states: "The Basic Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair any defective item on your vehicle that was supplied by Chrysler Motors — that is, defective in material, workmanship, or factory preparation. There is no list of covered parts since the only exception is tires. You pay nothing for these repairs. These warranty repairs or adjustments — including all parts and labor connected with them — will be made by your dealer at no charge, using new or remanufactured parts."
In regard to towing, the warranty policy states: "The Basic Warranty covers the cost of towing your vehicle to the nearest Chrysler Motors dealer if your vehicle can’t be driven because a covered part has failed".
In regard to how long the warranty is for, the policy states: "The Basic Warranty lasts for 36 months from the date it begins or for 36,000 miles on the odometer, which ever occurs first."
In regard to how to claim the warranty, the policy states: "In the U.S., U.S. Possessions and Territories, Mexico, and Canada Chrysler Motors generally recommends that you take your vehicle to the dealer where you bought it. But any authorized Chrysler Motors dealer can work on your vehicle. Except in emergencies (see 4.2), only an authorized Chrysler Motors dealer may perform warranty service on your vehicle.
"
By Monday afternoon, Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram had not called me. Instead, I called them and asked for an update. They informed me that they cannot fix this and that for an issue like this I need to contact my insurance and get it worked out and additionally I need to get my car out of there by Tuesday. I told this person that the part failed, caused damaged, and I was claiming my warranty. He said that is not possible and that I need to get it towed to a body shop to get repaired. I refused since that would destroy the evidence of this issue that could lead to a fatality in the future.
Furious at this point, I called the National Highway Safety Board to file a complaint. They processed my complaint and suggested that I contact the Jeep manufacturer as a next step. They provided a number for the manufacturer which I then called.
The Jeep manufacturer representative was understanding and pleasant to work with. I explained to her my situation, the impact it could have to other drivers and she seemed to understand. She said she would need to place me on hold and contact the dealership where the car is at to verify. She put me on hold and contacted the dealership. When she returned to the line she informed me that the dealership stated that there was a "collision" and that since there was a collision there is nothing they can do. I told her unless a cannonball colided with my hood, this is not possible. She understand and suggested that I possibly tow the car to another dealership for a different diagnosis.
Even more furious at this point, I called the Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram dealership back to find out why they have provide the jeep manufacturer with this diagnosis. I asked for the manager of the service managers and was directed to Leilani Chacon, who is the service director. She said that she is not sure who told the manufacturer that it was a "collision" - it was not her. However, she said that she spoke to the area director and he informed her that he had never heard of this happening and that I needed to go through insurance and take it to a body shop. I told her just because they have never heard of it happening does not mean it didn't happen -- and that this could lead to a fatality if not diagnosed and resolved. I asked her if I could call back the manufacturer and if she could speak to them directly and she agreed. Leilani was pleasant to work with and was understanding, but didn't seem to have the power to fix my situation.
I called back the Jeep manufacturer and the person on the phone successfully spoke with Leilani. However, he informed me that due to the nature of the issue he would have to escalate the issue to a "Claim Manager" on his end. He informed me that a claim manager would be reaching out to me within 24 hours.
Frustrated at this point, I reached out to everyone Chrysler FCA executive on LinkedIn I could find. I sent 15 In-mail messages directly to these executives explaining my issue and providing a link to photos of the incident. I did not really expect to hear back from anyone, but thought it was worth of shot.
All of the above took place on Monday, the day after the accident.
Today, on Tuesday May 1st, I awoke to a LinkedIn message from a Referral Service Manager with Chrysler FCA in Detroit. He inquired if it was I who contacted the C-level executive regarding my Jeep issue and asked if I could provide a phone number, my VIN #, and my mileage. I provided all of these details and he said that someone from his team would be reaching out tomorrow, Wednesday 5/2 to discuss further. Finally, it felt as if I was getting heard. I am looking forward to that conversation and continued to pursue every other channel I could think of.
As the Jeep manufacturer that I had spoken on the phone to the previous day informed me that a "Claims Manager" would be reaching out within 24 hours, I eagerly awaited their call. After 24 hours had passed and no call, I called them back directly. The person informed me that my case could not be handled by them, but instead would be handled by "Jeep Wave".
The Jeep manufacturer transfered me over to the "Jeep Wave" department and I explained my entire situation again to the agent on the phone. He said that due to the nature of this issue, he would escalate it to a "Special Investigative Unit" and this unit would be getting back to me within 2 to 4 days. He was pleasant to work with, but ultimately he was limited in what he was able to accomplish.
It has been two days since the accident and I have not made much progress. My car remains at Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram as I refuse to move it since they are failing to honor my warranty. I do not want to get the car fixed yet and destroy evidence that could lead to a fatality. I have filed complained with the NHSB, the FTC, and the California Attorney General due to failure to comply with the stated warranty.
Many of us have experienced hood flutter over the years - now an accident has occured from it and it is time that it finally get addressed. I searched the National Highway Safety Board complaints and found 5 other similiar complaints. My windshield could have easily shattered and severely injured my girlfriend and I from the intense inmpact of the hood. We were lucky. My car is very stock -- stock tires, stock rims, stock hood latches, stock suspension/stock lift. To my knowledge the last time the hood was opened was for an oil channel months earlier at Russel Westbrook Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.
If anyone has any specific questions, please ask and I will do my best to answer. I will continue to update this thread with my progress. Stay safe.
I have included pictures below:
Inside view (vision completely blocked while driving 60mph-window shattered):
Hood damage and tow guy preparing to tow my car --> https://imgur.com/iLYCvA8
Right side latch --> https://imgur.com/lDyw2OE
Front of car showing lever and spring --> https://imgur.com/n8uJQ7t
Left side latch --> https://imgur.com/fqgWiOM
Right side body --> https://imgur.com/6d95MDU
Left side body --> https://imgur.com/acd4slV
Hood/window impact --> https://imgur.com/iL8E29o
First post here, but long-time lurker. I have posted this on Reddit as well as several other Wrangler forums. I drive a 2017 White Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Hard Rock which has 24,500 miles and is still under Jeep's standard warranty. On Sunday, April 29th 2018 my girlfriend and I were driving home from our cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. We were driving south on highway 14 near California City. It was quite a windy day and I was driving 60mph when suddenly the two hood latches and the middle latch failed causing the hood to slam into the windshield.
My vision completely blocked by the hood and my life flashing before my eyes, I navigated the vehicle to the side of the road. My girlfriend and our cat suffered no visible injuries, but the windhsield was shattered and there was significant damage to the hood, windshield frame, windshield, and parts of the roof. I have AAA, but as we were far out they would only tow us 7 miles for free. The closest dealership was Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Lancaster, California 45 miles away so we were towed there for a $231 expense. It was around 9pm when we arrived so we put the keys in the deposit box, left the car, and left a note indicating what happened and asked for repairs and reimbursement of tow expense per the warranty policy.
The warranty policy states: "The Basic Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair any defective item on your vehicle that was supplied by Chrysler Motors — that is, defective in material, workmanship, or factory preparation. There is no list of covered parts since the only exception is tires. You pay nothing for these repairs. These warranty repairs or adjustments — including all parts and labor connected with them — will be made by your dealer at no charge, using new or remanufactured parts."
In regard to towing, the warranty policy states: "The Basic Warranty covers the cost of towing your vehicle to the nearest Chrysler Motors dealer if your vehicle can’t be driven because a covered part has failed".
In regard to how long the warranty is for, the policy states: "The Basic Warranty lasts for 36 months from the date it begins or for 36,000 miles on the odometer, which ever occurs first."
In regard to how to claim the warranty, the policy states: "In the U.S., U.S. Possessions and Territories, Mexico, and Canada Chrysler Motors generally recommends that you take your vehicle to the dealer where you bought it. But any authorized Chrysler Motors dealer can work on your vehicle. Except in emergencies (see 4.2), only an authorized Chrysler Motors dealer may perform warranty service on your vehicle.
"
By Monday afternoon, Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram had not called me. Instead, I called them and asked for an update. They informed me that they cannot fix this and that for an issue like this I need to contact my insurance and get it worked out and additionally I need to get my car out of there by Tuesday. I told this person that the part failed, caused damaged, and I was claiming my warranty. He said that is not possible and that I need to get it towed to a body shop to get repaired. I refused since that would destroy the evidence of this issue that could lead to a fatality in the future.
Furious at this point, I called the National Highway Safety Board to file a complaint. They processed my complaint and suggested that I contact the Jeep manufacturer as a next step. They provided a number for the manufacturer which I then called.
The Jeep manufacturer representative was understanding and pleasant to work with. I explained to her my situation, the impact it could have to other drivers and she seemed to understand. She said she would need to place me on hold and contact the dealership where the car is at to verify. She put me on hold and contacted the dealership. When she returned to the line she informed me that the dealership stated that there was a "collision" and that since there was a collision there is nothing they can do. I told her unless a cannonball colided with my hood, this is not possible. She understand and suggested that I possibly tow the car to another dealership for a different diagnosis.
Even more furious at this point, I called the Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram dealership back to find out why they have provide the jeep manufacturer with this diagnosis. I asked for the manager of the service managers and was directed to Leilani Chacon, who is the service director. She said that she is not sure who told the manufacturer that it was a "collision" - it was not her. However, she said that she spoke to the area director and he informed her that he had never heard of this happening and that I needed to go through insurance and take it to a body shop. I told her just because they have never heard of it happening does not mean it didn't happen -- and that this could lead to a fatality if not diagnosed and resolved. I asked her if I could call back the manufacturer and if she could speak to them directly and she agreed. Leilani was pleasant to work with and was understanding, but didn't seem to have the power to fix my situation.
I called back the Jeep manufacturer and the person on the phone successfully spoke with Leilani. However, he informed me that due to the nature of the issue he would have to escalate the issue to a "Claim Manager" on his end. He informed me that a claim manager would be reaching out to me within 24 hours.
Frustrated at this point, I reached out to everyone Chrysler FCA executive on LinkedIn I could find. I sent 15 In-mail messages directly to these executives explaining my issue and providing a link to photos of the incident. I did not really expect to hear back from anyone, but thought it was worth of shot.
All of the above took place on Monday, the day after the accident.
Today, on Tuesday May 1st, I awoke to a LinkedIn message from a Referral Service Manager with Chrysler FCA in Detroit. He inquired if it was I who contacted the C-level executive regarding my Jeep issue and asked if I could provide a phone number, my VIN #, and my mileage. I provided all of these details and he said that someone from his team would be reaching out tomorrow, Wednesday 5/2 to discuss further. Finally, it felt as if I was getting heard. I am looking forward to that conversation and continued to pursue every other channel I could think of.
As the Jeep manufacturer that I had spoken on the phone to the previous day informed me that a "Claims Manager" would be reaching out within 24 hours, I eagerly awaited their call. After 24 hours had passed and no call, I called them back directly. The person informed me that my case could not be handled by them, but instead would be handled by "Jeep Wave".
The Jeep manufacturer transfered me over to the "Jeep Wave" department and I explained my entire situation again to the agent on the phone. He said that due to the nature of this issue, he would escalate it to a "Special Investigative Unit" and this unit would be getting back to me within 2 to 4 days. He was pleasant to work with, but ultimately he was limited in what he was able to accomplish.
It has been two days since the accident and I have not made much progress. My car remains at Hunter Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram as I refuse to move it since they are failing to honor my warranty. I do not want to get the car fixed yet and destroy evidence that could lead to a fatality. I have filed complained with the NHSB, the FTC, and the California Attorney General due to failure to comply with the stated warranty.
Many of us have experienced hood flutter over the years - now an accident has occured from it and it is time that it finally get addressed. I searched the National Highway Safety Board complaints and found 5 other similiar complaints. My windshield could have easily shattered and severely injured my girlfriend and I from the intense inmpact of the hood. We were lucky. My car is very stock -- stock tires, stock rims, stock hood latches, stock suspension/stock lift. To my knowledge the last time the hood was opened was for an oil channel months earlier at Russel Westbrook Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.
If anyone has any specific questions, please ask and I will do my best to answer. I will continue to update this thread with my progress. Stay safe.
I have included pictures below:
Inside view (vision completely blocked while driving 60mph-window shattered):
Hood damage and tow guy preparing to tow my car --> https://imgur.com/iLYCvA8
Right side latch --> https://imgur.com/lDyw2OE
Front of car showing lever and spring --> https://imgur.com/n8uJQ7t
Left side latch --> https://imgur.com/fqgWiOM
Right side body --> https://imgur.com/6d95MDU
Left side body --> https://imgur.com/acd4slV
Hood/window impact --> https://imgur.com/iL8E29o