DEAR SUZANNE
By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 147 – November 2023 | Rubicon Owner
Dear Suzanne,
Having less than 5,000 miles on a brand new car only to hear it has a highly dangerous defect is interesting to say the least. But this is the situation I find myself in with my 2022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
A couple of weeks after I purchased my Jeep, I started having problems with it. When I heard that the automakers issued a national stop-sale order, everything began to make sense. They did this because this model was deemed unsafe to drive. Let me begin by describing my own experience with this Jeep.
Not long after I got it, my car developed this problem where it would stop in the middle of the road for no reason. When I took it to the repair shop, they didn’t provide an acceptable explanation. All they told me was they would check it and that was all.
After getting my car back from them, the issue continued and even seemed a little worse. It began stopping in the middle of busy intersections, and my path from home to work is full of them. So it became a case where I would be praying that the car doesn’t stop at every intersection. Considering I have my family in the Jeep with me on some drives, you can see why it poses a risk.
Now due to the risk of being stranded in the middle of the road, I don’t feel like taking my Jeep anywhere. The possibility of it stopping in the middle of a busy intersection is too dangerous to chance.
I took the car in for another visit when I decided that the problem was bad and getting worse. After a bit they said they thought they figured out what was wrong with it. According to them, the cause of this issue is that the Jeep has a hybrid engine – both gas and electric. When the gasoline engine shuts down, maybe due to an empty tank or some other issue, the hybrid battery sensors are unable to tell the car to keep moving. They said this may cause the vehicle to lose power immediately. Unfortunately they didn’t have a fix for this and said they would order a new sensor, but it could take weeks.
The problem has gotten so bad that I’m not even comfortable driving the Jeep at all, so I just prefer to leave it at home. I decided this after I had a close call with a near head-on collision. The car stopped at one of the intersections with my kids in the car with me. One of them was wailing, making it difficult to focus on the issue at hand. When we saw a huge truck headed our way, I didn’t know what to do.
Fortunately, the driver was fast and skilled enough to avoid hitting our vehicle. It was at this point that I said enough is enough, no more driving this car until the Jeep dealership or automaker can provide a permanent fix for the issue. So my car is just sitting in the garage as the largest and most expensive paper weight I own. If I need to go anywhere, I simply order a ride.
Furthermore, with Jeep enforcing the stop-sale order, it only means the issue is far more dangerous than the dealership is letting on. They even said owners of this model shouldn’t bother returning their vehicles because they have no fix for the issues. Makes you wonder what kind of automaker is so nonchalant about its customers’ safety. I just want a way out of this drama to be honest.
Rubicon Owner
Your 2022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Is A Hazard To Your Health
Dear Rubicon Owner,
When it comes to the safety of your family, no car, truck, or jeep is worth it. I’m glad you decided to leave it at home for now, but it’s time to do something about this defective vehicle. Luckily I have some advice that might help you decide what option is best for you.
The lemon law provides a way to escape the suffering that comes with owning a car as defective as yours. With the lemon law, your attorney goes up against the manufacturers directly. Your claim will be that the automakers sold you a defective vehicle. With the amount of issues you’ve faced, it only strengthens your case. With how few miles you have on the Jeep, it is clear that your vehicle is defective.
Regardless of how defective the car is, it is still necessary to produce evidence of the car’s defects. To do this properly, you need no less than two repair attempts done for the same problem or three repair attempts for different issues. These visits to the dealership must have occurred while under the manufacturer’s warranty if you want to qualify for the lemon law.
As proof of each visit, you need the paperwork given to you for each repair done. If any other issues like problems with the electrical system come up, feel free to take your car for repair, just make sure to collect your repair orders so your attorney can add those to your case.
SETTLEMENT OPTIONS
Once you’ve filed your claim, you have a few different options of compensation to look forward to.
The first option is the buyback. It means that the automakers will buy back the vehicle from you and pay you back all the money you ever spent on the car. This would include your down payment, monthly payments, taxes, and even any interest accrued. If you took out a loan on this vehicle, the manufacturers have to pay the loan off for you. Your credit will not be negatively affected.
With this option the manufacturer may be able to deduct from the settlement amount in what is known as the mileage offset. This is the automaker’s right to charge you for the period you drove the car without any issues. They usually base this on the mileage you were at when you first took your car in for repairs. Your attorney can sometimes have this deduction waived in half or in full.
The second option is called the cash and keep. This option means you get to keep your car while the manufacturers give you some cash as compensation for the issues you’ve battled with your car. With this option your warranty remains intact and you can sell your car later on if you wish to. If you do, you don’t have to deem it a lemon to the next owner.
While this may seem like a good option, it also means that you lose the right to file another claim on this same vehicle. So if any other issues come up after the warranty elapses, you have to pay for those repairs out of pocket.
LEMON LAW TIPS
Be sure to stay organized and follow your attorney’s advice. Every repair order strengthens your case, so stop by the dealership anytime something seems like it’s not right. Just make sure they’re writing down the actual problem you visit for and not something else that might not qualify under the lemon law.
In addition to all of these, you enjoy certain privileges for purchasing your vehicle within the state of California. One such privilege is that your case gets taken on full contingency. This means that you do not have to worry about paying the legal fees attached to your case. Instead, the automakers have to pay that on your behalf, so the entire original settlement won in the case goes over to you.
I hope some of my advice has helped you decide what your next step should be. If you have any more questions, reach out to your attorney. Best of luck!
Suzanne
PS. If you think your vehicle sucks and want to actually do something about it, you definitely can! Find out quickly if you have a case by visiting www.yourvehiclesucks.com right now. This website is owned by our partner law firm Quill & Arrow LLP, California’s #1 “settled” Lemon Law attorneys.
Free Legal Advice About Your 2022 Jeep Wrangler 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 CA 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 California Lemon Law Attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.
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Featured Image:
- 2022 Jeep Wrangler ©DestinationFearFan (CC BY-SA 4.0 License)
