JanetBrown

Ok so the Jeep has gone to a new owner, he is looking at it to donate parts for his Jeep which means at least one Jeep will stay on the road. In the end I think I got a fair price for it despite all the issues I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all those who stayed with us in the UK during the tow-bar debacle, especially Moses and Biggman whose advice was invaluable. I have suggested to the new owner that he look at this forum as a fount of knowledge and advice. Life on the homefront has now settled with me now being the owner of a KIa Sorento as the towing machine. Mind you I will hopefully soon be in the market for another Jeep as long as I can wear my OH down to agree to one. Keep on Jeeping out there :)

Shunter 65 Thank you for the offer, it is very kind of you - I had looked at this option with my mechanic - I asked him if just replacing the compressor was an option, he has looked at the car in depth and feels that even with a new part the car has had enough. I have never used the aircon - coming from a family where my father drummed into me that it just meant you used more fuel and if you wanted fresh air that was what the windows were for I have taken it on a couple of runs to see how it will run - however I have the vehicle to tow with and the mechanic feels that the overheating issue is more complicated than first thought. I took the trailer out (empty - as there is nothing worse than breaking down with a horse on board) on pulling up hill the vehicle is struggling, losing power and juddering. The mechanic has looked at it again and is cautioning against putting any more money into it. I must say my mechanic is brilliant, is prepared to work around issues, fit second hand parts and understands where I am coming from with regard to my car. He knows I rely on it for towing and every time I have had to take it to the stealership he has looked at the list of 'serious issues' they provide and once he has stopped laughing dealt with what actually needs to be done - if anything (and at a fraction of the cost - or in a couple of instances for free). To be honest my OH is getting a little more than exasperated with me over the car as he has paid for most of the previous repairs and he wanted me to get rid of it at the beginning of the N46 recall debacle. I'm not sure that standing my ground on this is a good way to go.

Biggman100 and Laney Hi, I had thought about going down this route of sourcing everything myself, my mechanic is also happy for this, but together with everything else it is still going to cost me nearly £1500, with as my mechanic has pointed out no recall f something doesn't fit (the car is a South African import and seems to have several 'oddities when it comes to parts) . This for a car that yesterday I was offered £350 part exchange. I do feel like should carry on but my OH has pointed out that it may well be time to admit defeat. I bought this vehicle four years ago for £6,000 ($9300) and since then have had the following costs Rear light fittings - Passenger side door mirror EVIC replacement 'Serious issues' being found every time the car goes in for a 'recall' or service(the first time I believed them - never again - my mechanic does all work now apart from the recall work) New automatic transmission and ancillary costs - almost £3500 over £1000 in vehicle hire as not being able to tow due to recall issue now a further £1500 approx for the aircon issue This does not include the servicing/MOT - wear and tear items such as tyres/battery/brakes etc Yes I appreciate that running a car is expensive but I have never in over 40 years of driving had such an expensive car for repairing. I must confess I have been looking at other Jeeps but my OH is being all sensible and reminding me of how much I have spent on this one.

Now I know well and truly that life is not fair So 7 weeks ago I had the new towbar fitted - Whoopee - after eight long months of campaigning and fighting for it - however this last two weeks sadly my lovely KJ has just gone and died - well almost. At the last quote it is going to cost more than I can afford to put into this vehicle having already spent out more than I paid for the car in the first place. (Horsebox rental for the eight months the Jeep was unable to tow, new automatic transmission on top of the usual items needed for MOT and Service, wear and tear) Yet again the stealership got it totally wrong - telling me that it needed a new accessories belt. Now I know that I had a new one fitted last year so took the car into my trusted garage for a full check - the prognosis was not good as the following parts are needed: New air con compressor - the bearings are gone Dryer - as the warranty on the compressor is invalid without one. Radiator - apparently impossible to get One stealership told my garage that they did not have one and it could take 6 - 12 months to get one - if they could. Another stealership told me that yes they could get me one and they were in stock - at the knock down price of £612.00 +VAT (£734.40) ($1138.98)this does not include the price of the Dryer :0 Radiators - told they are impossible to get as mine is an import (South African) as the stealership are being awkward I just still don't trust them Labour - initial costing £700 - £1000 and rising (from my trusted garage - Jeep wouldn't even quote for me) Why does owning one of these vehicles have to be so expensive in the UK So people I am now sadly giving up - Jeep have worn me down to never have another one - now considering a Kia Sorrento (oh the shame)

Chris, glad to hear your news - it's a nice bit of kit don't you think. I think they are working their way through those that made the most noise :) I know of at least 4 other people who had new towbars fitted in the last week or so. It appears that the 'order' to fit my new towbar pdq didn't come from Customer Service but the Director's Office :) Happy towing

Photos

Had my towbar fitted today, seems a nice solid piece of kit. If I know how to post photo's I would. Customer service at the dealership I went to was totally different to previous experiences, friendly, considerate and efficient. Looking forward to hitching up the trailer at the weekend

Laney, thanks for that - though it has been longer than since February, I originally started dealing with this in October last year, but didn't start posting for quite a while until I realised I wasn't the only one who wasn't getting anywhere.

Just had an email, including a letter, stating that the towbars are here and will be fitted at a dealer of my choice FREE OF CHARGE Just have to provide them with a couple of dates of my choosing for them to do it.

Ok, so have had an email today from customer service in response to my email stating that I had not received the promised communication from Fiat/Jeep for the end of April. Mind you still no answers to my detailed questions in several previous emails regarding this situation We can confirm that the tow bars have been shipped and will arrive in the UK via our distribution warehouse in Italy. As soon as we have confirmation they have been received into our warehouse in the UK we will write to you again with further instructions." Still no date though. Perhaps they are on a rowboat or pedalo Ah well just keep on waiting I suppose - it's only been 8 months so far

Ok so I have now had a response from Customer Services as follows: "We refer to our email of 19th November 2014 (copy of which is attached) in which we advised you that Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd is assisting with the coordination of aftercare of Jeep vehicles registered on or before 1st September 2010.Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd would like to assure you that have been doing all we can to expedite procurement of the tow bar which we have identified and which meets the requirements of the recall campaign. By way of update, we would like to advise you that availability of the tow bar is anticipated for the end of April 2015. We will contact you again once we have final confirmation of UK delivery. Yours Sincerely," So end of April then........................

Mike K et al I have, as requested forwarded the recent round of emails between myself and Jeep Customer Relations to Tom at Tow-Trust. Jeep had promised a response by the end of this week. Should I get a response I will let you all know what it is.

Below is the response to an email I sent earlier today, the email has not answered any of the many questions I have asked for the second time. However it does say that I will hear further by the end of next week - mind you not going to be holding my breath: We have identified a source for a tow bar which is currently undergoing tests to ensure it complies with the requirements of the Recall Campaign. We hope to conclude the process as soon as possible and would like to assure you that we are doing everything we can to expedite this. We will contact you with further information as soon as this becomes available. Please be assured that we will provide you with a further update on this matter by the end of next week.

I came across this whilst conducting some more research, I think the most interesting fact is that it states that only 3% yes, just 3% of over 1.5 million cars have been 'fixed'. So not that serious then ?????? or do Americans not take this seriously (ie is their insurance not compromised as in the UK). I note that in the US it is an 'advisory', yet in the UK is is presented as 'mandatory' or no insurance in the majority of cases By the way - it appears from another forum member that Fiat have made the official decision that they will NOT compensate or pay for the new towbars manufactured by Tow Trust - however I have yet to receive this in writing. Consumer Advisory: NHTSA Urges Owners of Model Year 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty and 1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Vehicles to Get Recalled Cars Fixed Thursday, November 20, 2014 Contact: Catherine Howden, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov WASHINGTON D.C - NHTSA urges owners of recalled Model Year 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty and Model Year 1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles to contact their local dealer to arrange a service appointment to receive the free remedy repair for their vehicles. Chrysler reports it currently has nearly 400,000 parts available to repair vehicles covered by this recall and will continue to produce parts to ensure they are able to meet consumer demand for the repair. Owners who have concerns regarding their ability to receive parts should contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler’s recall remedy addresses fuel tank ruptures and fires that can occur if the vehicle is struck from behind in a low to medium speed crash. NHTSA took the proactive step of testing the remedy and today the agency closed its safety defect investigation because it believes the risk of fuel tank ruptures and fires in lower to medium speed rear end crashes will be reduced by the remedy now offered by Chrysler. However, NHTSA will continue to monitor the remedy and Chrysler’s efforts to notify vehicle owners and its effort to remedy vehicles. Owners can confirm whether their individual vehicle is part of the recall by using NHTSA’s free VIN look up tool on safercar.gov or by contacting Chrysler customer service at 1-800-247-9753. NHTSA also issued a letter to Chrysler today expressing concerns with the manufacturer’s current efforts to repair the recalled vehicles. In its most recent update, Chrysler reports that the company has remedied only approximately 3 percent of affected vehicles of a population of more than 1.5 million. The agency is pushing the manufacturer to accelerate efforts to repair the recalled vehicles by proactively reaching out to affected owners with accurate information on the safety defect and the availability of the free remedy repair. NHTSA is also asking for details on what Chrysler is doing to correct any inaccuracies or delays in dealer communications and actions regarding these issues. Owners should make sure their vehicles are registered with up-to-date contact information to ensure they receive notices of safety defect recalls from manufacturers. Further, the agency strongly urges all consumers to utilize any of NHTSA’s many alert tools to quickly learn about recalls on www.safercar.gov. View NHTSA’s Closing Resume View the full report on NHTSA’s testing View NHTSA’s letter to Chrysler Receive recall alerts on Apple devices, Android devices or Email Stay connected with NHTSA via: Facebook.com/NHTSA | Twitter.com/NHTSAgov | YouTube.com/USDOTNHTSA | SaferCar.gov

JeeperMare The response from Pam Nagra is identical to one of the paragraphs in my response from her. A stock answer I am afraid, so we will have to keep on battling.