My 2020 Jeep Wrangler Quit And Almost Got Me Fired

DEAR SUZANNE
 
By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 157 – December 2023 | New Worker

 
Dear Suzanne,

Maintaining a car is no small task. This is especially true when you have to deal with defects that make driving a burden rather than a luxury. You may feel lost if you don’t have any idea how to fix it and the dealership turns out to be little help. At this point, the car is more like a paper weight than a form of transportation.

My vehicle is a 2020 Jeep Wrangler which I leased brand new sometime in 2021. Since I got it, I have only added 21,800 miles on it. The problems plaguing this vehicle are more like the issues that a car with about 60,000 miles has.

 
Everything I’ve dealt with regarding this Jeep has been related to the transmission. This has affected both my personal and work life, although recently it’s affected my work more. Let me tell you of the most recent time this junk Jeep caused issues at my work.

About two weeks ago I got an email saying I could start a job I applied for, and they said to begin the following week. So last week I set out early for my new job, dressed smart so I could make a good impression on my first day. Unfortunately, my vehicle had other plans for me.

My Jeep’s Engine Runs Out of Steam

So while on my way to work, my Jeep broke down – the engine died – on the freeway without any prior alert. Considering it broke down at a place that wasn’t safe to leave it, I was torn between staying with my car and making it to work on time. In the end, I decided to stay with it and I called the dealer to come tow the car to their shop. I chose this option because it was the safest and I was still quite early so I had a little time to spare.

On getting there, they said they would have to keep the car with them for a couple of days. When they told me this, I asked for a rental car that I could use in the meantime. But they told me they had no loaners available at that moment so I’d have to go get one from a rental store.

At this point I was already cutting it close to the start time for my job, but I had no choice except to first head to the rental store as there was no other way for me to get to work. At the rental shop, they asked me to pay upfront which I told the dealership about and they said they would reimburse me later. I paid for it, although they still haven’t refunded me to date.

Immediately after getting it, I left for work. By this time I was running late for work, but I was only hoping that my boss would cut me some slack after hearing about the kind of morning I had.

Fortunately, he did but only after giving me a very stern warning that any repetition of this lateness would result in me being unemployed once again. I promised him that it would be the last time but, to be honest, I’m not sure how well I can hold up to this considering the kind of defective vehicle I have.

I would have been very upset and disappointed if this caused me to lose a job I just got. All of this happened right after months of sitting idle and actively looking for a suitable job that would put food on the table. So I hope you can understand why I’m on edge regarding this whole issue.

Kept My Job But Lost A Transmission

Yesterday, the service guy called me to say that the whole transmission was gone and they’d have to replace it. This meant they would have to keep the car longer than I thought. Now I would have to pay for more days with the rental car. Imagine if I had lost my job because I was late on the first day, how would they expect me to pay for an extended period with the rental?

I’m so tired of all this. This is not the only occasion I’ve had problems with the car but it is the most invasive. If I begin to recount all the troubles I’ve had to deal with, we’d be here all day. What solution can you offer regarding my defective Jeep?

 
New Worker

Would Your 2020 Jeep Wrangler Pass A Performance Review?

 
Dear New Worker,

It’s crazy that you have had to deal with this problem and I’m sorry it’s affected your work. It’s no joke dealing with a defective vehicle, but it becomes unacceptable when it begins to affect other areas of your life. With the dealership failing to reimburse you even after promising to do so, you need to take action now, and this is where the lemon law enters the picture.

 
Furthermore, you should know that you are not the only one who has complaints about this Jeep model, several other similar reports from other owners have come in. All of the complaints had to do with either the engine or transmission as well. These issues aren’t exclusive to the Wrangler, owners of other models like the Renegade have similar complaints.

With them replacing the transmission this early into owning the car, you can almost bank on the fact that you will face more problems as time goes by. This may go on until you’re well out of the warranty period. At this point, you’d have to pay for the repairs yourself.

Lemon Law Qualifications

With vehicles like yours that have these defects, there’s a way out through the lemon law. In order to utilize the lemon law and win your case, you must first be sure that you qualify for it. You need to meet certain requirements that prove your vehicle is a lemon.

To prove you own a lemon vehicle, you need at least two repair attempts done at the dealership for the same issue while under the manufacturer’s warranty. Alternatively, you could have three or more visits to the dealership to repair different issues. If your car stayed at the repair shop for over a month, it may also qualify as a lemon. Note that each of these visits must have happened while under the original manufacturer’s warranty period.

Seeing that you already meet these criteria, you likely qualify for the lemon law. The lemon law in California comes with advantages. One such benefit is that lemon attorneys in the state take all lemon law cases on a no win-no fee basis. This means that you don’t have to worry about paying the legal fees attached to your case. Instead, the automakers pay the lawyers on your behalf, meaning the entire original settlement goes over to you.

Settlement Options

Now, pursuing a lemon law case gives you a couple of different options that you can choose from. These options are the different ways you can get retribution from the automakers for selling you a defective vehicle.

The first is called the buyback or repurchase option. This is the option that involves the automakers buying back the car from you. In buying it back, they refund all the money you may have spent on this car. This includes your down payment, monthly payments, taxes, and even the interest paid. If you took out a loan on the car, the manufacturers have to pay that off to the finance company so your credit isn’t affected.

With this option the manufacturers have the right to a deduction from the buyback amount called the mileage offset. In simple terms, this has to do with the right of the manufacturers to bill you for the period you drove the car without any problems. This is usually based on the number of miles you were at when you took your car in for the first repair.

The second option is called the cash and keep. This option involves the automakers giving you some cash as compensation for the issues you’ve experienced with your Jeep. With this you get to keep the car and your warranty isn’t voided or canceled. Also, if you later wish to sell your car, you can do so without labeling it a lemon to the next owner.

There is a third option called the replacement offer, but it’s not particularly advisable. The replacement or trade-in option refers to the manufacturers giving you another vehicle as a replacement for the one you own right now. This trade-in vehicle is usually a vehicle with similar mileage, value, and model as yours. The major problem with this is that you run the risk of getting another defective vehicle as a replacement.

Make sure you gather all relevant documents before pursuing your claim. Also it’s important to continue to take your car in should it break down again. Every repair order strengthens your case. If you have any more questions or you need clarification on certain things, your attorney is just a call away. I wish you the best of luck in getting into a reliable ride!

 
Suzanne

 
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Featured image:

• 2020 Jeep Wrangler ©Noah Wulf (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED License)