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Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!
The 2006 six speed Jeep Wrangler has a very dangerous design flaw. New for the 2006 Jeep Wrangler is the six speed transmissions and what I have recently learned the “hard way” is part of the redesign includes the clutch assembly. The clutch rod comes out of the floor board and attaches to the clutch pedal with a clip/attachment that bolts onto the clutch pedal. The problem here is as part of their new design the clip or attachment piece is made of “plastic” and I found that it can break very easily and disable your Jeep. I learned this fact this last weekend and if I had been rock climbing or in the desert instead of in town I might not be here letting all you Jeep owners know about this very dangerous problem. In addition to this problem and being 165 miles from home I had a big eye opener on how rude, uncooperative, uncaring and totally unhelpful I found DaimlerChrysler Corporation to be. Read the details of my past weekend and see how dangerous and potentially deadly this problem can be unless DaimlerChrysler Corporation corrects it! I almost forgot to mention that even though it was a warranted part it turned out to be a very expensive problem for me as well.
I live in Flagstaff, Arizona and I had planned to go the valley/Phoenix area this last weekend, February 25th for two reasons. My family and I were driving down to the valley to celebrate my daughter’s 13th birthday with family and friends and to go to the Cross Roads of the West gun show in Phoenix. For those who don’t know the area it is about 150 to 175 miles one way from Flagstaff, depending on where in the valley you are going. Since we were just planning on going down for the day I only took a couple of days supply of my medications and left behind some medical equipment I use due to a fall I had about eight years ago that severely damaged my lower back. After I dropped off my wife and my daughter at her sister’s house in Chandler to get ready for the birthday party my son and I headed off to the gun show. (I don’t understand why my wife and daughter never want to go to the gun show)?
My son and I drive to the gun show at the Phoenix coliseum and entered the parking area and we paid for parking. As we proceeded forward, I pushed down on the clutch to put the Jeep into gear and heard a loud pop and the clutch pedal drops to the floor and the Jeep shuts down. Unable to restart my Jeep and the people behind us honking their horns, my son and one of the parking lot attendants proceeds to push the Jeep off to the side area, getting it out of the way of the entrance. After I got over the shock of my new 2006 Jeep breaking down, then the thoughts of being late to my daughter’s party and being this close to the gun show and missing it due to my Jeep breaking down in the parking lot, I then called road side assistance. Less then an hour later the tow truck arrives and takes my Jeep to the nearest Jeep dealership, which was Bill Luke in Phoenix. My son and I are now stranded at the Phoenix coliseum and have to call my wife to pick us up or bring us some transportation. Due to the time of day that this happened we learned that the car rental places including the one at the dealership were all closed. I then received a call from the Jeep dealership confirming that my Jeep had arrived but due to their heavy work schedule they would not be able to even look at my Jeep until Monday morning. Now stranded at my sister in-laws home in Chandler, don’t take this wrong, God has blessed me with all of my wife’s brothers and sisters who are the best, but I really hate to impose on anyone, especially when I’m not in the best of mood. I really hated missing the Gun Show!! Sunday morning I call the dealership and learn that the Enterprise rental was closed on Sunday and they were the only car rental place in the area. After calling the Enterprise 800 number I learned they were all closed on Sunday and would spend another day stranded. I’m still not able to go to the gun show!!
Monday morning I call the dealership and learn that the part that connects the clutch to the clutch pedal that broke is all inclusive to the clutch system. This means they can not just replace the plastic clip part they have to replace the entire clutch. To make matters worse, they cannot find any of these new clutch systems in Arizona. The only available one they can find is in Oregon and will have to have it sent overnight to Phoenix. They explained the earliest they would be able to have my Jeep fixed if they rushed it would be Wednesday. As I explained at the beginning of the letter we left Flagstaff to only spend the day in the valley, and I did not bring my medical equipment or medications for more than a couple of days. I was out of medication and over 165 miles from home. Due to my medications and my medical condition this was truly a life threatening situation for me. Being out of medications and the fact my Jeep would not be fixed for at least a couple of more days I had to find away home or arrange to get my medication some were quickly. My oldest son drove down during the weekend and picked up my wife to take her back to Flagstaff due to the fact that my wife and son both had to be at work and my daughter to school first thing Monday morning. This is when we thought that I could pick up my Jeep on Monday and just drive it home. (Before we knew it was an all inclusive part and the entire clutch would need to be replaced all because of this stupid plastic clip). Yep! I’m still mad I missed the gun show!!
I made my first call to DaimlerChrysler Corporation around 8:30 A.M. to see if they could assist me in getting a rental car and or a hotel room in Phoenix near the dealership so as not to have to impose on others to drive me back and forth to and from the dealership. I spoke to DaimlerChrysler Corporation and their various departments and being put on hold for about the next six hours until about 3:40. I explained to the people at DaimlerChrysler Corporation about the need for my medications and that I was stranded in Phoenix approximately 150 miles from home. They were able to retrieve my information from their system and verify I was telling them the truth. But the responses I received like that’s tuff or to bad or flat out no we well not help you or reimburse you for a hotel stay a rental car or even towing if you a charged for the towing. The only offer of any help I received was from the actual Dealership (Bill Luke). According to the service manager who told me that he and the service director felt bad that they had to work on my New 2006 with less then 2K miles on it for warranted item. By the time my brother in-law had driven me to Phoenix they had a Enterprise rental car waiting for me. Unlike DaimlerChrysler Corporation the dealership was very helpful.
I was still a little fearful in driving back up to Flagstaff. I was fearful as I had explained to the many people I spoke to at DaimlerChrysler Corporation because one of the many medications I had run out of was a medication for Narcolepsy. I take this medication to keep me from falling asleep while driving. As I had stated before with the refusal of any help from DaimlerChrysler Corporation and needing all my medications I had no other choice but to attempt the drive back up to Flagstaff. (But before I did I made sure to buy the additional insurance form Enterprise on the rental car).
Even though I had made many stops between Flagstaff and Phoenix to try and stay awake I did fall asleep about a mile outside of Cortes Junction I caught myself driving down the middle of the road and hurriedly pulled into the Cortes Junction turn off and into a store parking lot where I fell asleep and slept for the next 30 plus minutes. After I woke up I bought myself some coffee and attempted to continue onto Flagstaff. I was doing ok until around Munds Park where it became a major struggle to stay awake. I was really fighting to stay awake and I had made it to the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff were I pulled into the parking lot and passed out. I was awaken about an hour latter by my daughter knocking on the car window to wake me up.. My daughter and wife came looking for me when I was so late in getting home. I followed them the rest of the way home. The Jeep was repaired and ready for pick up on Wednesday which required my wife to take off work and go with me to pick it up.
Although my medical problems maybe unique I think that in reading this letter most of you can see how someone might also become stranded four wheeling in the country back roads or in the desert some where. The fathers out their who maybe looking to buy a Jeep for their sons or daughters beware of not only the chance of their Jeep braking down but also knowing they will not receive any help from DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
Please, send this letter to everyone who may own a 2006 Jeep six speed or who maybe thinking of buying one. If you happen to own one of these Jeeps already be careful and email or write DaimlerChrysler Corporation to get them to recall and fix this stupid design flaw. I write this letter to only worn everyone before someone has to be hunted down by the sheriff’s posse or another rescue unit or misses a gun show due to a broken clutch.
Thank you to the kind staff at Bill Luke who helped to get my jeep back on the road.
Tim Feavel
Flagstaff, Arizona
_________________ Tim Feavel
tfeavel@earthlink.net
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