Consumer Complaint Detail

JEEP / WRANGLER / 1997

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 004307716 Incident Date: Nov, 03 2004
Consumer's City: RENO Consumer's State: NV
Vehicle Transmission Type: MAN Manufacturers Name: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Model Name: WRANGLER Model Year: 1997
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system:windshield:electrical heating element
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: 1J4FY29P3VP Date added to File: May, 25 2021
Date Complaint Received: Nov, 10 2004 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Feb, 25 1997
Was Original Owner: Yes Anti-lock Brakes: Yes
Number of Cylinders: 4 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: i'm the original owner and sole driver of a 1997 jeep wrangler with 34,000 miles. i noticed the windshield defroster wasn't working when i drove home in a snow storm last week. fortunately, the drive was a short distance. *jb i easily determined that a plastic bell crank broke off its shaft that goes into the heater housing. i activated the defroster control to confirm that this part is the defroster bell crank. nothing has fallen down the defroster duct to jam the door and cause the break. the door moves freely when turning the shaft by hand. i believe the break happened when the defroster was actuated during max heater fan, causing max air pressure on the defroster door with max torque on its shaft. the repair estimate from my local dealer is $855. i have a strong suspicion this is a common problem and doubt if many people go to this expense to fix it. i dont want to spend this amount of money on a defect that may break again. since driving with frosted windshields creates a considerable safety hazard, i think a recall should be initiated to make this system more robust. a windshield defroster should last much longer than 34,000 miles.