I simply cannot believe that Jeep hasn't just bought this out (at full price even) by this point. The amount of bad press that you could give them alone (especially if you brought in some of the media) could cost them far more, not to mention the possible loss of a future customer. You're handling this much better than I would at this point.
I. Now I've wasted nearly a year of payments on a junker that will probably cost me to get out of. Arg!
Believe it, same stuff happened to me on a 2014 grand cherokee. Chrysler doesn't care about their image or their customers, and they won't do anything until you start putting up your own money for legal representation. I have to imagine that some of their vehicles work fine, or nobody would ever touch them.
yeah it sucks. FWIW I had the same issue on a honda accord a decade ago. Had trans and brake problems from the start. They tried valiantly to fix it but refused to entertain buyback or cash out. I just got tired of the hassle and traded it in. 1st year depreciation is ugly.
Wow, that's terrible, you'd think Honda would take better care of their customers. But that's what I suspected with Jeep...all big companies are the same, if you have an issue like this, you're going to get hosed no matter who you go with. Someone mentioned earlier in the thread that this happened to their fried with a Subaru iirc. Fortunately our subie has been solid, but what a pain that would be!
My POV is that I don't mind being stuck with a car payment, because in return I get (typically) a 100% reliable car, so as long as I'm working full-time, covering a car payment every month is a non-issue. I did it for 10+ years when I leased. It's losing money outside of the amount that I've allocated in my budget that gets me...if I trade it in today at market value, I'll still owe like $4,000 on the loan because I've only been paying on it for a year, which is a huge amount of cash for me. Again, I don't mind a monthly car payment because that's a fixed part of my budget, but I'm not going to shell out four grand to solve a problem that should have been resolved by Jeep, which is what has made this process frustrating...multiple glitches, multiple dealership trips, multiple times being towed in, multiple reps at Jeep, etc.
My biggest thing is that I wouldn't even mind (to a point) a few issues on a new car, as long as the customer service was there to make it as painless as possible. I'm well aware that things can happen during manufacturing that can't always be caught, or isn't even an issue right away. However, I do expect the company responsible to have the customer service in place to make the repairs easy. Chrysler doesn't do this... I couldn't even get a rental out of them without a fight. Then when I got a rental I wasn't able to get a like vehicle. I know people that had problems with their Kia, but were given a brand new loaner off the lot while their own car was getting worked on. Any car can have an issue, but it comes down to how it's handled once an issue develops.
At first I was like "how the fuck is this thread at 331 replies?"...and then I read the OP.
Sorry to hear Kaido, I love the way the Jeeps look but I just can't get past their reputation for terrible reliability, and this thread really does just put it over the top.
Looking at a couple used 4Runners.
i would pursue legal action out of anger and spite.
For the price you might as well look at Lexus LX/GX 450's and 470's.
what's your state's lemon law like?
30 days in the shop, or in the shop for the same issue 4 times, within 2 years of purchase on a new car. Have well-exceeded both. Case would probably be a home-run.
That's basically how I'm feeling right now. I'd rather avoid the legal hassles, but I think I'm going to pursue it out of spite haha. The goal would be a full refund for price paid. I suspect I will hit 50 days in the shop before it goes to court. 10 months of ownership, less than 10,000 miles on the clock.
While you have a good case and are likely to win keep the emotion out of it. You can't "spite" a faceless entity like large corporations. They literally do not give a fractional crap about you. You have to be cold and calculated regarding the total cost to you of continuing to put up with the POS. It will take some more days off from work, piles of paperwork, possibly some legal fees you will have to pay up front depending on the lawyer, trips to the dealership and county courthouse, and at least a year to get it resolved. All lost time and energy trying to get your anti-climatic day in court.
The lawyer I consulted was pretty clear that I would not be getting "justice". I would get a check. It would probably be for the purchase price minus fees, taxes, etc. The lawyer would get paid by them and make a bunch more than the cost of the car. They would drag their feet, adjourn, delay, try to interject mediation, and any other legal stall tactics they could get away with. They are masters at manipulating the system and wearing people out so they go away. Victory for them in my case as I chose not to bother. Dumped that lemon and moved on.
If the lawyer fees are to be paid by FCA when you win, I see no reason not to proceed. Yes, FCA is a faceless corporation that doesn't really care but at least you'll feel better and not have lost as much money in the process.
Sorry about your car experience. I would never buy an FCA after all of that. Every once in a while I get tempted, then I read a thread like this and realize what a mistake it would be...shudders. I had a Town & Country rental over the summer. There were only 15k miles on the vehicle and there were already 4 things broken on the car (including the drivers seat). Ridiculous.
Your vehicle choices are all over the map. Isn't the Ridgeline using a version of the same transmission your Renegade has in it? If so, that would scare me away.