My 2019 Jeep Cherokee Is Not As Great As I Thought

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 165 – From Ignored

Dear Suzanne, 

Since I can remember, my hobbies have always been activities like driving on off-road trails and dirt tracks and things like that. Without a suitable vehicle that can navigate these trails, you would have a hard time enjoying such a hobby. That’s why I decided to get the 2019 Jeep Cherokee. 

There’s only a few vehicles as rugged as the Cherokee. It can run on both smooth roads and rough terrain, making it the perfect vehicle for what I needed. It wasn’t as expensive as the others and the Jeep dealership was having a sale. Brilliant, sign me up! 

Now, you may ask what the whole fuss is about if it’s such a good vehicle. The problem is that my Jeep has both engine and power steering issues that keep coming up at weird times. This isn’t brand new anymore, but this shouldn’t be happening to a vehicle with barely 50,000 miles. I’ve seen vehicles with much more mileage that don’t have nearly as many problems. I’ve had to go to the dealership for the same problems at least three  different times. 

The first time I had issues with the Jeep it was on a highway road with about 10,000 miles on the odometer. All of the sudden every dashboard light lit up while I lost power steering simultaneously. I pulled over to the side of the road and tried starting the car again, but nothing. After about five minutes of contemplating my next move, I decided to give it another try, and to my surprise the engine started. 

I drove straight to the dealership to let them know what was going on and they inspected the car. They said there was an issue with one of the sensors which they fixed, or so they claimed. 

The next visit was a result of a close call while pulling into a parking spot. I went to an event where there was almost no parking, but finally I found a spot. As I was making my way into this spot, I didn’t realize I was so close to hitting the car in front of me. Thankfully, someone passing saw it and pointed it out in time for me to adjust. 

When I took it to the dealership this time, they said the parking sensors were faulty which was why there wasn’t a warning when I was close to hitting an obstacle. They replaced these faulty sensors and sent me on my way. 

Fast forward to a very recent period where the Jeep shut off while I was on an off-road track. I was having a good time with the guys when my car decided it had had enough. We had reached the end of the trail after only 25 to 30 miles when my car lost power steering. In addition, all the sensors started acting up so I couldn’t access basic features like the emergency braking, cruise control, and others. 

As a result, we couldn’t ride in my car, so I became a spectator/back-seat driver while the others had fun. Since they felt like I was kinda shut out of the fun, they decided to round things up not long after. While leaving, one of them helped me tow my car out to the main road. I called a tow truck to come take my car to the repair shop. 

On arriving at the dealership, they said they would need to replace one of the speed sensors – I guess all my sensors are bad? But this replacement meant I had to pay 800 bucks, and to me, that was quite expensive. I was surprised that they asked me to pay at all, considering I’m still under warranty. They justified it saying the whole thing was classified as an electrical issue and not an engine problem. 

When I took it in for the loss of power steering, it felt like they didn’t do anything about it. The issue kept coming up and they just kept ignoring it. I’m tired of being ignored, and I guess I need a way out at this point. I can’t go on like this. 

Ignored

There’s Something Sour About Your 2019 Jeep Cherokee

Dear Ignored, 

The first thing you should know is that the power steering issues you’ve been experiencing fall under the basic warranty and so further repairs mean the dealer will charge you. This is because the basic warranty on your vehicle has expired, lasting for three years or 36,000 miles after you got the car. This is why they charged you for the replacement of the speed sensors. 

However, you still have the second warranty active on your Jeep called the powertrain warranty. This one covers anything related to the engine and transmission and it lasts for 5 years or 60,000 miles. 

Considering you’ve already taken the vehicle three times for the same issues with the sensors, power steering, and all that, it seems your main issues lie with the electrical and power steering. This means your vehicle may qualify for a lemon law case. 

In simple terms, to qualify for a lemon law case you need to meet the basic requirements. You need two or more repairs at the dealership for the same issue or three or more for different issues. If you meet these criteria, and these repairs occurred while under warranty, you own a lemon and your car qualifies. Note that your demand for retribution is strictly against the manufacturers and not the dealership. 

You should still take your car in for further repairs if the need arises. The more visits you have, the stronger your case, and the more money in your pocket as well. 

Now, regarding your case, there are two options of compensation available to you. They are as follows: 

Buyback Offer 

The buyback option is where you get a refund from the manufacturers for everything you have ever spent on your vehicle. They pay back all your down payments, monthly payments, taxes, and even interest. If you took out a loan on the vehicle, the manufacturer pays that off for you as well. 

The only thing they can deduct from the buyback is the mileage offset. This means the manufacturer has the right to bill you for the period you drove the car with no issues. They usually base this on the number of miles you were at when you took the car for its first repair. Considering you took it in a little under 10,000 miles, this makes your case stronger. 

They won’t be able to deduct much money from the buyback, but even if they could, your attorney can argue for a waiver of this mileage offset either in half or in full. The main goal of your attorney is to get you back as much money as possible as compensation for everything you’ve gone through with your lemon. 

Cash and Keep 

The cash and keep offer is a simple agreement where the manufacturers offer you some cash as compensation for the issues you’ve endured with your car. With this, you are allowed to keep the vehicle, and your warranty remains valid. If you later decide to sell the car, you don’t have to deem it a lemon to the next owner. 

There is some good news about filing lemon law cases in California. Since this is a consumer-friendly state, cases like yours get taken on a full contingency basis, so you aren’t charged for anything, win or lose. This means you don’t have to worry about how to pay your lawyer, the manufacturer does that for you. The entire original settlement goes straight to you. 

If you have any more questions, get with your attorney. They’re the ones that understand your situation best and can guide you through the process. I hope you’re able to get into a reliable ride soon. Best of luck!

Suzanne

Featured Image: 2019 Jeep Cherokee ©Kevauto (CC Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 license)

Free Legal Advice About Your 2019 Jeep Cherokee Lemon Law Claim

Dear reader, are your vehicle problems ruining your life? Confused about what legal route to take? We’re here to help! Find information about California’s lemon law protections here, fill out the form on this page, or give us a call at (323) 553-7525 to discuss your situation with someone who understands how frustrating it can be to have a lemon car, and what to do about it.

DEAR SUZANNE is a weekly column written by Suzanne Henderson and published in LemonLawyers.ORG. If you have a defective lemon vehicle and have questions about California Lemon Lawyer or how to file a claim in California, please write to help@lemonlawyers.org. While not guaranteed, we will try to feature your letter in this column to provide you the answers you need, as well as enlighten other consumers who may have lemon problems similar to yours.

Disclaimer: Suzanne Henderson is not a lawyer and the points discussed here are intended for general information and reference purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult a CA Lemon Law Attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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