Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!

Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!



The 2006 six speed Jeep Wrangler has a very dangerous design flaw. New for
the 2006 Jeep Wrangler is the six speed transmissions and what I have
recently learned the "hard way" is part of the redesign includes the clutch
assembly. The clutch rod comes out of the floor board and attaches to the
clutch pedal with a clip/attachment that bolts onto the clutch pedal. The
problem here is as part of their new design the clip or attachment piece is
made of "plastic" and I found that it can break very easily and disable your
Jeep. I learned this fact this last weekend and if I had been rock climbing
or in the desert instead of in town I might not be here letting all you Jeep
owners know about this very dangerous problem. In addition to this problem
and being 165 miles from home I had a big eye opener on how rude,
uncooperative, uncaring and totally unhelpful I found DaimlerChrysler
Corporation to be. Read the details of my past weekend and see how
dangerous and potentially deadly this problem can be unless DaimlerChrysler
Corporation corrects it! I almost forgot to mention that even though it was
a warranted part it turned out to be a very expensive problem for me as
well.



I live in Flagstaff, Arizona and I had planned to go the valley/Phoenix area
this last weekend, February 25th for two reasons. My family and I were
driving down to the valley to celebrate my daughter's 13th birthday with
family and friends and to go to the Cross Roads of the West gun show in
Phoenix. For those who don't know the area it is about 150 to 175 miles one
way from Flagstaff, depending on where in the valley you are going. Since
we were just planning on going down for the day I only took a couple of days
supply of my medications and left behind some medical equipment I use due to
a fall I had about eight years ago that severely damaged my lower back.
After I dropped off my wife and my daughter at her sister's house in
Chandler to get ready for the birthday party my son and I headed off to the
gun show. (I don't understand why my wife and daughter never want to go to
the gun show)?



My son and I drive to the gun show at the Phoenix coliseum and entered the
parking area and we paid for parking. As we proceeded forward, I pushed
down on the clutch to put the Jeep into gear and heard a loud pop and the
clutch pedal drops to the floor and the Jeep shuts down. Unable to restart
my Jeep and the people behind us honking their horns, my son and one of the
parking lot attendants proceeds to push the Jeep off to the side area,
getting it out of the way of the entrance. After I got over the shock of my
new 2006 Jeep breaking down, then the thoughts of being late to my daughter's
party and being this close to the gun show and missing it due to my Jeep
breaking down in the parking lot, I then called road side assistance. Less
then an hour later the tow truck arrives and takes my Jeep to the nearest
Jeep dealership, which was Bill Luke in Phoenix. My son and I are now
stranded at the Phoenix coliseum and have to call my wife to pick us up or
bring us some transportation. Due to the time of day that this happened we
learned that the car rental places including the one at the dealership were
all closed. I then received a call from the Jeep dealership confirming that
my Jeep had arrived but due to their heavy work schedule they would not be
able to even look at my Jeep until Monday morning. Now stranded at my
sister in-law's home in Chandler, don't take this wrong, God has blessed me
with all of my wife's brothers and sisters who are the best, but I really
hate to impose on anyone, especially when I'm not in the best of mood. I
really hated missing the Gun Show!! Sunday morning I call the dealership
and learn that the Enterprise rental was closed on Sunday and they were the
only car rental place in the area. After calling the Enterprise 800 number
I learned they were all closed on Sunday and would spend another day
stranded. I'm still not able to go to the gun show!!



Monday morning I call the dealership and learn that the part that connects
the clutch to the clutch pedal that broke is all inclusive to the clutch
system. This means they cannot just replace the plastic clip part - they
have to replace the entire clutch. To make matters worse, they cannot find
any of these new clutch systems in Arizona. The only available one they can
find is in Oregon and they will have to have it sent overnight to Phoenix.
They explained the earliest they would be able to have my Jeep fixed if they
rushed it would be Wednesday. As I explained at the beginning of the
letter, we left Flagstaff to only spend the day in the valley, and I did not
bring my medical equipment or medications for more than a couple of days. I
was out of medication and over 165 miles from home. Due to my medications
and my medical condition this was truly a life threatening situation for me.
Being out of medications and the fact my Jeep would not be fixed for at
least a couple of more days I had to find a way home or arrange to get some
of my medication quickly. My oldest son drove down during the weekend and
picked up my wife to take her back to Flagstaff, due to the fact that my
wife and son both had to be at work and my daughter to school first thing
Monday morning. This is when we thought that I could pick up my Jeep on
Monday and just drive it home. (Before we knew it was an all inclusive part
and the entire clutch would need to be replaced all because of this stupid
plastic clip). Yep! I'm still mad I missed the gun show!!



I made my first call to DaimlerChrysler Corporation around 8:30 a.m. to see
if they could assist me in getting a rental car and or a hotel room in
Phoenix near the dealership so as not to have to impose on others to drive
me back and forth to and from the dealership. I spoke to DaimlerChrysler
Corporation and their various departments and ended up being put on hold for
about the next six hours until about 3:40 p.m.. I explained to the people
at DaimlerChrysler Corporation about the need for my medications and that I
was stranded in Phoenix approximately 150 miles from home. They were able
to retrieve my information from their system and verify I was telling them
the truth. But the responses I received like "that's tough" or "too bad" or
flat out "no we will not help you or reimburse you for a hotel stay a rental
car or even towing if you are charged for the towing". The only offer of
any help I received was from the actual Dealership (Bill Luke). According
to the Service Manager, he told me that he and the Service Director felt bad
that they had to work on my New 2006 with less then 2K miles on it for a
warranted item. By the time my brother in-law had driven me to Phoenix they
had an Enterprise rental car waiting for me. Unlike DaimlerChrysler
Corporation, the dealership was very helpful.



I was still a little fearful in driving back up to Flagstaff. I was
fearful as I had explained to the many people I spoke to at DaimlerChrysler
Corporation because one of the many medications I had run out of was a
medication for Narcolepsy. I take this medication to keep me from falling
asleep while driving. As I had stated before, with the refusal of any help
from DaimlerChrysler Corporation and needing all my medications, I had no
other choice but to attempt the drive back up to Flagstaff. (But before I
did I made sure to buy the additional insurance from Enterprise on the
rental car).



Even though I had made many stops between Flagstaff and Phoenix to try and
stay awake, I did fall asleep about a mile outside of Cordes Junction where
I caught myself driving down the middle of the road and hurriedly pulled
into the Cordes Junction turnoff and into a store parking lot where I fell
asleep and slept for the next 30 plus minutes. After I woke up I bought
myself some coffee and attempted to continue on to Flagstaff. I was doing
okay until around Munds Park, where it became a major struggle to stay
awake. I was really fighting to stay awake and I had made it to the Little
America Hotel in Flagstaff where I pulled into the parking lot and passed
out. I was awakened about an hour latter by my daughter knocking on the car
window to wake me up. My daughter and wife came looking for me when I was
so late in getting home. I followed them the rest of the way home. The
Jeep was repaired and ready for pick up on Wednesday, which required my wife
to take off work and go with me to pick it up.



Although my medical problems may be unique, I think that in reading this
letter most of you can see how someone might also become stranded four
wheeling in the country back roads or in the desert somewhere. The fathers
out there who may be looking to buy a Jeep for their sons or daughters
beware of not only the chance of their Jeep breaking down but also knowing
they will not receive any help from DaimlerChrysler Corporation.



Please, send this letter to everyone who may own a 2006 Jeep six speed or
who maybe thinking of buying one. If you happen to own one of these Jeeps
already be careful and email or write DaimlerChrysler Corporation to get
them to recall and fix this stupid design flaw. I write this letter to only
warn everyone before someone has to be hunted down by the Sheriff's posse or
another rescue unit or misses a gun show due to a broken clutch.



Thank you to the kind staff at Bill Luke who helped to get my Jeep back on
the road.



Tim Feavel

Flagstaff, Arizona

Tim:

You mentioned medications in the post numerous times. Couldn't you have
stopped at a local pharmacy and asked them to phone your doctor for your
prescription?

Tom

"Tim" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!
>
>
>
snip

Are you sure you don't live on the other side of that lake, in the
Great White Socialist North?
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

mabar wrote:
>
> Tim:
>
> You mentioned medications in the post numerous times. Couldn't you have
> stopped at a local pharmacy and asked them to phone your doctor for your
> prescription?
>
> Tom

Nope. Northeast Ohio.

Tom

"L.W. (ßill) Hughes III" > wrote in message
...
> Are you sure you don't live on the other side of that lake, in the
> Great White Socialist North?
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> http://www.billhughes.com/
>
> mabar wrote:
> >
> > Tim:
> >
> > You mentioned medications in the post numerous times. Couldn't you have
> > stopped at a local pharmacy and asked them to phone your doctor for your
> > prescription?
> >
> > Tom

MY2 cents,

It was not the dealers problem they did everything they could. If you did
not bring your MEDS you are just stupid not a dealer issue. Not the
dealer's fault because the part was unavailable. Not the dealers issue to
get you a rental or hotel room that is what your auto insurance is for. ****
some time just happens it is not your fault or the dealers but you are at
fault for being stupid not for properly being prepaired. What would you do
out on the trail curl up in the fetal position and die?

Coasty




"Tim" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!
>
>
>
> The 2006 six speed Jeep Wrangler has a very dangerous design flaw. New
> for the 2006 Jeep Wrangler is the six speed transmissions and what I have
> recently learned the "hard way" is part of the redesign includes the
> clutch assembly. The clutch rod comes out of the floor board and attaches
> to the clutch pedal with a clip/attachment that bolts onto the clutch
> pedal. The problem here is as part of their new design the clip or
> attachment piece is made of "plastic" and I found that it can break very
> easily and disable your Jeep. I learned this fact this last weekend and
> if I had been rock climbing or in the desert instead of in town I might
> not be here letting all you Jeep owners know about this very dangerous
> problem. In addition to this problem and being 165 miles from home I had
> a big eye opener on how rude, uncooperative, uncaring and totally
> unhelpful I found DaimlerChrysler Corporation to be. Read the details of
> my past weekend and see how dangerous and potentially deadly this problem
> can be unless DaimlerChrysler Corporation corrects it! I almost forgot to
> mention that even though it was a warranted part it turned out to be a
> very expensive problem for me as well.
>
>
>
> I live in Flagstaff, Arizona and I had planned to go the valley/Phoenix
> area this last weekend, February 25th for two reasons. My family and I
> were driving down to the valley to celebrate my daughter's 13th birthday
> with family and friends and to go to the Cross Roads of the West gun show
> in Phoenix. For those who don't know the area it is about 150 to 175
> miles one way from Flagstaff, depending on where in the valley you are
> going. Since we were just planning on going down for the day I only took
> a couple of days supply of my medications and left behind some medical
> equipment I use due to a fall I had about eight years ago that severely
> damaged my lower back. After I dropped off my wife and my daughter at her
> sister's house in Chandler to get ready for the birthday party my son and
> I headed off to the gun show. (I don't understand why my wife and daughter
> never want to go to the gun show)?
>
>
>
> My son and I drive to the gun show at the Phoenix coliseum and entered the
> parking area and we paid for parking. As we proceeded forward, I pushed
> down on the clutch to put the Jeep into gear and heard a loud pop and the
> clutch pedal drops to the floor and the Jeep shuts down. Unable to
> restart my Jeep and the people behind us honking their horns, my son and
> one of the parking lot attendants proceeds to push the Jeep off to the
> side area, getting it out of the way of the entrance. After I got over
> the shock of my new 2006 Jeep breaking down, then the thoughts of being
> late to my daughter's party and being this close to the gun show and
> missing it due to my Jeep breaking down in the parking lot, I then called
> road side assistance. Less then an hour later the tow truck arrives and
> takes my Jeep to the nearest Jeep dealership, which was Bill Luke in
> Phoenix. My son and I are now stranded at the Phoenix coliseum and have
> to call my wife to pick us up or bring us some transportation. Due to the
> time of day that this happened we learned that the car rental places
> including the one at the dealership were all closed. I then received a
> call from the Jeep dealership confirming that my Jeep had arrived but due
> to their heavy work schedule they would not be able to even look at my
> Jeep until Monday morning. Now stranded at my sister in-law's home in
> Chandler, don't take this wrong, God has blessed me with all of my wife's
> brothers and sisters who are the best, but I really hate to impose on
> anyone, especially when I'm not in the best of mood. I really hated
> missing the Gun Show!! Sunday morning I call the dealership and learn
> that the Enterprise rental was closed on Sunday and they were the only car
> rental place in the area. After calling the Enterprise 800 number I
> learned they were all closed on Sunday and would spend another day
> stranded. I'm still not able to go to the gun show!!
>
>
>
> Monday morning I call the dealership and learn that the part that connects
> the clutch to the clutch pedal that broke is all inclusive to the clutch
> system. This means they cannot just replace the plastic clip part - they
> have to replace the entire clutch. To make matters worse, they cannot
> find any of these new clutch systems in Arizona. The only available one
> they can find is in Oregon and they will have to have it sent overnight to
> Phoenix. They explained the earliest they would be able to have my Jeep
> fixed if they rushed it would be Wednesday. As I explained at the
> beginning of the letter, we left Flagstaff to only spend the day in the
> valley, and I did not bring my medical equipment or medications for more
> than a couple of days. I was out of medication and over 165 miles from
> home. Due to my medications and my medical condition this was truly a
> life threatening situation for me. Being out of medications and the fact
> my Jeep would not be fixed for at least a couple of more days I had to
> find a way home or arrange to get some of my medication quickly. My
> oldest son drove down during the weekend and picked up my wife to take her
> back to Flagstaff, due to the fact that my wife and son both had to be at
> work and my daughter to school first thing Monday morning. This is when
> we thought that I could pick up my Jeep on Monday and just drive it home.
> (Before we knew it was an all inclusive part and the entire clutch would
> need to be replaced all because of this stupid plastic clip). Yep! I'm
> still mad I missed the gun show!!
>
>
>
> I made my first call to DaimlerChrysler Corporation around 8:30 a.m. to
> see if they could assist me in getting a rental car and or a hotel room in
> Phoenix near the dealership so as not to have to impose on others to drive
> me back and forth to and from the dealership. I spoke to DaimlerChrysler
> Corporation and their various departments and ended up being put on hold
> for about the next six hours until about 3:40 p.m.. I explained to the
> people at DaimlerChrysler Corporation about the need for my medications
> and that I was stranded in Phoenix approximately 150 miles from home.
> They were able to retrieve my information from their system and verify I
> was telling them the truth. But the responses I received like "that's
> tough" or "too bad" or flat out "no we will not help you or reimburse you
> for a hotel stay a rental car or even towing if you are charged for the
> towing". The only offer of any help I received was from the actual
> Dealership (Bill Luke). According to the Service Manager, he told me that
> he and the Service Director felt bad that they had to work on my New 2006
> with less then 2K miles on it for a warranted item. By the time my
> brother in-law had driven me to Phoenix they had an Enterprise rental car
> waiting for me. Unlike DaimlerChrysler Corporation, the dealership was
> very helpful.
>
>
>
> I was still a little fearful in driving back up to Flagstaff. I was
> fearful as I had explained to the many people I spoke to at
> DaimlerChrysler Corporation because one of the many medications I had run
> out of was a medication for Narcolepsy. I take this medication to keep me
> from falling asleep while driving. As I had stated before, with the
> refusal of any help from DaimlerChrysler Corporation and needing all my
> medications, I had no other choice but to attempt the drive back up to
> Flagstaff. (But before I did I made sure to buy the additional insurance
> from Enterprise on the rental car).
>
>
>
> Even though I had made many stops between Flagstaff and Phoenix to try and
> stay awake, I did fall asleep about a mile outside of Cordes Junction
> where I caught myself driving down the middle of the road and hurriedly
> pulled into the Cordes Junction turnoff and into a store parking lot where
> I fell asleep and slept for the next 30 plus minutes. After I woke up I
> bought myself some coffee and attempted to continue on to Flagstaff. I
> was doing okay until around Munds Park, where it became a major struggle
> to stay awake. I was really fighting to stay awake and I had made it to
> the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff where I pulled into the parking lot
> and passed out. I was awakened about an hour latter by my daughter
> knocking on the car window to wake me up. My daughter and wife came
> looking for me when I was so late in getting home. I followed them the
> rest of the way home. The Jeep was repaired and ready for pick up on
> Wednesday, which required my wife to take off work and go with me to pick
> it up.
>
>
>
> Although my medical problems may be unique, I think that in reading this
> letter most of you can see how someone might also become stranded four
> wheeling in the country back roads or in the desert somewhere. The
> fathers out there who may be looking to buy a Jeep for their sons or
> daughters beware of not only the chance of their Jeep breaking down but
> also knowing they will not receive any help from DaimlerChrysler
> Corporation.
>
>
>
> Please, send this letter to everyone who may own a 2006 Jeep six speed or
> who maybe thinking of buying one. If you happen to own one of these Jeeps
> already be careful and email or write DaimlerChrysler Corporation to get
> them to recall and fix this stupid design flaw. I write this letter to
> only warn everyone before someone has to be hunted down by the Sheriff's
> posse or another rescue unit or misses a gun show due to a broken clutch.
>
>
>
> Thank you to the kind staff at Bill Luke who helped to get my Jeep back on
> the road.
>
>
>
> Tim Feavel
>
> Flagstaff, Arizona
>
>
>
>
>
>

Tim, your problems with the Wrangler, which are to be expected after any
extensive redesign of a component, were exacerbated because of your medical
condition. It is just not fair to call a clutch rod popping off
"dangerous".

There was no need to purchase additional insurance on the Enterprise car if
you paid for it with a Gold or Platinum credit card. Check your cardholder
agreement. You will find that the rental car insurance they provide, is as
good as the coverage you purchased from the rental company. Your
homeowner's or auto insurance company may provide some liability coverage
too. Know your present coverage, before signing any rental car agreement.

The dealer people in Phoenix seem like decent sorts. They did not have to
find you a rental car, and it is to their credit that they helped you in
this way.

It is not unusual for people with medical problems to leave essential
supplies at home during a vacation or even a short excursion such as your
trip to Phoenix. You would be amazed at some of the stories that I have
been told by patients, as a volunteer emergency medical technician in a
tourist destination town! If there is something that you really, really
need, make sure to have it with you at all times. I suffered terribly
because of the lack of Tabasco® sauce while I was in Spain...

Earle

"Tim" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!
>
---snippy---


*** Free account sponsored by SecureIX.com ***
*** Encrypt your Internet usage with a free VPN account from http://www.SecureIX.com ***

You need to learn how the vehicle works by the sounds of it....

I have broken my clutch linkage on many occasions over the years and
even have been around a couple TJ's when their clutch up and died.

In 'all' these cases, we were able to dive home or at least able to
starter walk the vehicle out of the intersection! Actually the last TJ
owner that phoned me with a dead clutch in the middle of an intersection
made it out of the way and all the way home on the starter just fine....

On the older manual TJ's all you have to do is put a fuse in the 'auto'
fuse slot to allow the engine to start with the clutch pedal up or to
start in gear on purpose. This is for times when you are 'say' flooded
out on a creek crossing. You can just hit the starter with the engine
in 2nd gear and 'walk' the Jeep or even my old Volvo up out of the
creek. LOL, been there...

If you 'just' have busted linkage or loss of hydraulic fluid, then you
can 'easily' start the vehicle by just pushing down on the clutch pedal
while having the shifter in 2nd or 3rd, hit the starter and away you
go. The interlock switch is at the top of the clutch pedal. It can
just be jumpered too...

It is a bear to shift without a clutch, but 'very' possible with a firm
hand or starting in 3rd will limp you home at an easy 30 mph anyway or
get you to a shop.

My $0.02....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Tim wrote:
>
> Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!
>
> The 2006 six speed Jeep Wrangler has a very dangerous design flaw. New for
> the 2006 Jeep Wrangler is the six speed transmissions and what I have
> recently learned the "hard way" is part of the redesign includes the clutch
> assembly. The clutch rod comes out of the floor board and attaches to the
> clutch pedal with a clip/attachment that bolts onto the clutch pedal. The
> problem here is as part of their new design the clip or attachment piece is
> made of "plastic" and I found that it can break very easily and disable your
> Jeep. I learned this fact this last weekend and if I had been rock climbing
> or in the desert instead of in town I might not be here letting all you Jeep
> owners know about this very dangerous problem.

<snip>

Earle Horton wrote:
>I suffered terribly
> because of the lack of Tabasco® sauce while I was in Spain...
>
> Earle

LMAO!
--
FRH

Sorry to hear about your problem Tim, these things happen.

I never travel more than walking distance from home without my CAA+
card. For just over $100 per year it is cheap insurance for breakdowns.

CAA+ will get me a free tow up to about 150km (90 miles). This will
usually get your vehicle home or to your local dealer.

If you can afford a new vehicle, you can afford to join a good auto
club. I prefer vehicles that I can buy for under $1000 so I need it
even more.

Merrill

I drove 50 miles home once 4-lo with my front axle disconnect pulled without
being able to clutch b/c my clutch went out. It's not hard if you shift at
the right points.

Carl


"Tim" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Warning!! Dangerous design flaw in the 2006 Jeep Wranglers!!
>
>
>
> The 2006 six speed Jeep Wrangler has a very dangerous design flaw. New
> for the 2006 Jeep Wrangler is the six speed transmissions and what I have
> recently learned the "hard way" is part of the redesign includes the
> clutch assembly. The clutch rod comes out of the floor board and attaches
> to the clutch pedal with a clip/attachment that bolts onto the clutch
> pedal. The problem here is as part of their new design the clip or
> attachment piece is made of "plastic" and I found that it can break very
> easily and disable your Jeep. I learned this fact this last weekend and
> if I had been rock climbing or in the desert instead of in town I might
> not be here letting all you Jeep owners know about this very dangerous
> problem. In addition to this problem and being 165 miles from home I had
> a big eye opener on how rude, uncooperative, uncaring and totally
> unhelpful I found DaimlerChrysler Corporation to be. Read the details of
> my past weekend and see how dangerous and potentially deadly this problem
> can be unless DaimlerChrysler Corporation corrects it! I almost forgot to
> mention that even though it was a warranted part it turned out to be a
> very expensive problem for me as well.
>
>
>
> I live in Flagstaff, Arizona and I had planned to go the valley/Phoenix
> area this last weekend, February 25th for two reasons. My family and I
> were driving down to the valley to celebrate my daughter's 13th birthday
> with family and friends and to go to the Cross Roads of the West gun show
> in Phoenix. For those who don't know the area it is about 150 to 175
> miles one way from Flagstaff, depending on where in the valley you are
> going. Since we were just planning on going down for the day I only took
> a couple of days supply of my medications and left behind some medical
> equipment I use due to a fall I had about eight years ago that severely
> damaged my lower back. After I dropped off my wife and my daughter at her
> sister's house in Chandler to get ready for the birthday party my son and
> I headed off to the gun show. (I don't understand why my wife and daughter
> never want to go to the gun show)?
>
>
>
> My son and I drive to the gun show at the Phoenix coliseum and entered the
> parking area and we paid for parking. As we proceeded forward, I pushed
> down on the clutch to put the Jeep into gear and heard a loud pop and the
> clutch pedal drops to the floor and the Jeep shuts down. Unable to
> restart my Jeep and the people behind us honking their horns, my son and
> one of the parking lot attendants proceeds to push the Jeep off to the
> side area, getting it out of the way of the entrance. After I got over
> the shock of my new 2006 Jeep breaking down, then the thoughts of being
> late to my daughter's party and being this close to the gun show and
> missing it due to my Jeep breaking down in the parking lot, I then called
> road side assistance. Less then an hour later the tow truck arrives and
> takes my Jeep to the nearest Jeep dealership, which was Bill Luke in
> Phoenix. My son and I are now stranded at the Phoenix coliseum and have
> to call my wife to pick us up or bring us some transportation. Due to the
> time of day that this happened we learned that the car rental places
> including the one at the dealership were all closed. I then received a
> call from the Jeep dealership confirming that my Jeep had arrived but due
> to their heavy work schedule they would not be able to even look at my
> Jeep until Monday morning. Now stranded at my sister in-law's home in
> Chandler, don't take this wrong, God has blessed me with all of my wife's
> brothers and sisters who are the best, but I really hate to impose on
> anyone, especially when I'm not in the best of mood. I really hated
> missing the Gun Show!! Sunday morning I call the dealership and learn
> that the Enterprise rental was closed on Sunday and they were the only car
> rental place in the area. After calling the Enterprise 800 number I
> learned they were all closed on Sunday and would spend another day
> stranded. I'm still not able to go to the gun show!!
>
>
>
> Monday morning I call the dealership and learn that the part that connects
> the clutch to the clutch pedal that broke is all inclusive to the clutch
> system. This means they cannot just replace the plastic clip part - they
> have to replace the entire clutch. To make matters worse, they cannot
> find any of these new clutch systems in Arizona. The only available one
> they can find is in Oregon and they will have to have it sent overnight to
> Phoenix. They explained the earliest they would be able to have my Jeep
> fixed if they rushed it would be Wednesday. As I explained at the
> beginning of the letter, we left Flagstaff to only spend the day in the
> valley, and I did not bring my medical equipment or medications for more
> than a couple of days. I was out of medication and over 165 miles from
> home. Due to my medications and my medical condition this was truly a
> life threatening situation for me. Being out of medications and the fact
> my Jeep would not be fixed for at least a couple of more days I had to
> find a way home or arrange to get some of my medication quickly. My
> oldest son drove down during the weekend and picked up my wife to take her
> back to Flagstaff, due to the fact that my wife and son both had to be at
> work and my daughter to school first thing Monday morning. This is when
> we thought that I could pick up my Jeep on Monday and just drive it home.
> (Before we knew it was an all inclusive part and the entire clutch would
> need to be replaced all because of this stupid plastic clip). Yep! I'm
> still mad I missed the gun show!!
>
>
>
> I made my first call to DaimlerChrysler Corporation around 8:30 a.m. to
> see if they could assist me in getting a rental car and or a hotel room in
> Phoenix near the dealership so as not to have to impose on others to drive
> me back and forth to and from the dealership. I spoke to DaimlerChrysler
> Corporation and their various departments and ended up being put on hold
> for about the next six hours until about 3:40 p.m.. I explained to the
> people at DaimlerChrysler Corporation about the need for my medications
> and that I was stranded in Phoenix approximately 150 miles from home.
> They were able to retrieve my information from their system and verify I
> was telling them the truth. But the responses I received like "that's
> tough" or "too bad" or flat out "no we will not help you or reimburse you
> for a hotel stay a rental car or even towing if you are charged for the
> towing". The only offer of any help I received was from the actual
> Dealership (Bill Luke). According to the Service Manager, he told me that
> he and the Service Director felt bad that they had to work on my New 2006
> with less then 2K miles on it for a warranted item. By the time my
> brother in-law had driven me to Phoenix they had an Enterprise rental car
> waiting for me. Unlike DaimlerChrysler Corporation, the dealership was
> very helpful.
>
>
>
> I was still a little fearful in driving back up to Flagstaff. I was
> fearful as I had explained to the many people I spoke to at
> DaimlerChrysler Corporation because one of the many medications I had run
> out of was a medication for Narcolepsy. I take this medication to keep me
> from falling asleep while driving. As I had stated before, with the
> refusal of any help from DaimlerChrysler Corporation and needing all my
> medications, I had no other choice but to attempt the drive back up to
> Flagstaff. (But before I did I made sure to buy the additional insurance
> from Enterprise on the rental car).
>
>
>
> Even though I had made many stops between Flagstaff and Phoenix to try and
> stay awake, I did fall asleep about a mile outside of Cordes Junction
> where I caught myself driving down the middle of the road and hurriedly
> pulled into the Cordes Junction turnoff and into a store parking lot where
> I fell asleep and slept for the next 30 plus minutes. After I woke up I
> bought myself some coffee and attempted to continue on to Flagstaff. I
> was doing okay until around Munds Park, where it became a major struggle
> to stay awake. I was really fighting to stay awake and I had made it to
> the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff where I pulled into the parking lot
> and passed out. I was awakened about an hour latter by my daughter
> knocking on the car window to wake me up. My daughter and wife came
> looking for me when I was so late in getting home. I followed them the
> rest of the way home. The Jeep was repaired and ready for pick up on
> Wednesday, which required my wife to take off work and go with me to pick
> it up.
>
>
>
> Although my medical problems may be unique, I think that in reading this
> letter most of you can see how someone might also become stranded four
> wheeling in the country back roads or in the desert somewhere. The
> fathers out there who may be looking to buy a Jeep for their sons or
> daughters beware of not only the chance of their Jeep breaking down but
> also knowing they will not receive any help from DaimlerChrysler
> Corporation.
>
>
>
> Please, send this letter to everyone who may own a 2006 Jeep six speed or
> who maybe thinking of buying one. If you happen to own one of these Jeeps
> already be careful and email or write DaimlerChrysler Corporation to get
> them to recall and fix this stupid design flaw. I write this letter to
> only warn everyone before someone has to be hunted down by the Sheriff's
> posse or another rescue unit or misses a gun show due to a broken clutch.
>
>
>
> Thank you to the kind staff at Bill Luke who helped to get my Jeep back on
> the road.
>
>
>
> Tim Feavel
>
> Flagstaff, Arizona
>
>
>
>
>
>