NHTSA complaint: 1995 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
RUSTED, DEFECTIVE DISC ROTORS COMPROMISED THE BRAKE'S PERFORMANCE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, ON A TWO LANE ROAD, THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT AHEAD, DRIVERS SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES, BUT MY SON WAS UNABLE TO STOP QUICKLY ENOUGH AND HIT THE '84 VOLVO AHEAD OF HIM. MY SON WAS CITED FOR FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY, ALTHOUGH HE DOES NOT THINK HE WAS FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY. VEHICULAR DAMAGE APPEARED VERY MINOR, BUT THE OTHER DRIVER IS CLAIMING THAT HIS '84 VOLVO IS TOTALED. THE IMPACT WAS AT VERY LOW SPEED. MY SON RECEIVED NO INJURIES, AND HIS AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE OTHER DRIVER COMPLAINED OF A HEADACHE AND BACKACHE, SAW HIS DOCTOR, WAS TREATED WITH NAPROSYN (ALLEVE), AND IS FINE. WE HAD RECEIVED NO INFORMATION FROM CHRYSLER ABOUT THE RECALL ON THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS. WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RECALL THE NEXT DAY (1/21/2000) WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED ON CNN. I CALLED CHRYSLER AND HAD THE RECALL PERFORMED. (OUR JEEP WAS AFFECTED BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN HOUSED IN OHIO PRIOR TO 8/99 WHEN WE BOUGHT IT). THE RECEIPT FROM THE DEALER FOR THE RECALL WORK SAYS THE ROTORS WERE DEFECTIVE. AFTER THE NEW ROTORS WERE INSTALLED WE NOTICED A VERY SIGNIGICANT DIFFERENCE IN STOPPING ABILITY. I REPORTED THIS TO CHRYSLER, REQUESTED THAT A TEST OF STOPPING TIME/ABILITY WITH THE OLD ROTORS AND WITH THE NEW ROTORS BE DONE, BUT CHRYSLER REFUSED. IF WE HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE RECALL, WE COULD HAVE HAD THE ROTORS REPLACED AND AVOIDED THE ACCIDENT. I UNDERSTAND THAT ROTORS ARE A WEAR ITEM, BUT
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation