What 481 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 392

STARTED ON FIRE,STRUGGLED GOING UP HILL THEN STARTED ON FRE

NHTSA ODI 11171791

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD GOING 55 MPH AND A HUGE GUST OF WHITE SMOKE CAME THRU THE DASH VENT SYSTEM SO I PULLED OVER AND GOT OUT OF MY JEEP SAHARA AND NOTICED A BIG MASS OF WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD... 2 MINUTES LATER, FIRE STARTED AND WITHIN A COUPLE MINUTES MY WHOLE FRONT PART OF THE JEEPS ENGINE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THAN FROM THERE IT BURNED UP THE REST OF THE JEEP.. THIS VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED IN A MATTER OF 10-15 MINUTES.. I WAS DRIVING ON A PAVED ROAD IN THE COUNTRY ..

NHTSA ODI 11091505

I WAS DRIVING AT UNDER 10 MPH, ON A TEXAS STATE ROAD WHEN THE PLASTIC FUEL LINE WHICH IS CONNECTED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BODY WITH SOME TYPE OF ADHESIVE FAILED. THIS DROPPED THE FUEL LINE DIRECTLY ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, WHICH MELTED THE FUEL LINE CAUSING A FIRE THAT SPREAD TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. APPARENTLY THIS IS AN ISSUE ON THE 4 DOOR MODEL WRANGLERS AS THE 2 DOOR WRANGLERS HAVE A PLATE PREVENTING THIS. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE LOOKED AT ON ALL 4 DOOR MODELS, RANGING FROM 2008 THROUGH AT LEAST 2013. I HAVE LOOKED AT OTHER 4 DOOR JEEPS AND SEE THAT THEY HAVE THE SAME POTENTIAL ISSUE THERE IS NOTHING THAT PREVENTS THE FUEL LINE FROM COMING INTO CONTACT WITH THE EXHAUST AND POTENTIALLY CAUSING A FIRE.

NHTSA ODI 10992206

MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2016 4:21 PM TRANSMISSION FIRE. 2011 JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON WITH 81K MILES ALL MAINTENANCE. NO MODIFICATIONS AND NO OFF ROADING. LOST POWER ON AN INCLINED ROAD. THEN THE CAR SHUT OFF AFTER ALL THE PANELS WENT CRAZY AND THEN BLACK SMOKE STARTED POURING OUT OF THE HOOD AREA. ONLY THING THAT KEPT MY CAR FROM GOING UP IN FLAMES WAS IT WAS POURING DOWN RAIN AND I WAS ON AN INCLINE. THE 100000 MILE / 5 YEAR POWER TRAN WARRANTY ENDED THE DAY BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. AT THE TIME I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS AN ENGINE FIRE DO TO THE RAIN AND ALL THE BLACK SMOKE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NO HELP AND BOTH DID NOT EVEN MENTION FIRE UNTIL I DID FURTHER INVESTIGATION AND HAD A PRIVATE MECHANIC LOOK AT IT. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF WAITING ON AN INSURANCE ADJUSTER TO COMPLETE THEIR INVESTIGATION.

NHTSA ODI 10819542

WHILE FRWY. DRIVING AT APPROX. 72 MPH / 2600 RPMS AND WITHOUT WARNING OR INDICATION OF MALFUNCTION, WE HEARD A POP, AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DRIVER MANEUVERED THE VEHICLE TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE I NOTICED SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE UNDERSIDE AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT. MY FAMILY IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE VEHICLE AND I USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE THAT WAS ENGULFING THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE JEEP. AFTER EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE, I WAS ABLE TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. I NOTICED A LARGE HOLE IN THE LOWER ENGINE BLOCK JUST BEHIND THE OIL PAN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. ADDITIONALLY, THE METAL HEAT SHIELD THAT SITS JUST TO THE SIDE OF THE ENGINE WAS BENT BACKWARD. IT APPEARS THAT THE ENGINE MALFUNCTIONED AND THREW A BEARING OR OTHER ENGINE PART THROUGH THE OUTER MOTOR CASING RELEASING OIL AND CAUSING THE RESULTANT FIRE AND DAMAGE. HOWEVER, I CAN NOT RULE OUT A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE VS. PURE MECHANICAL ENGINE FAILURE. IT HAS BEEN OVER TWO WEEKS SINCE THE INCIDENT AND CHRYSLER HAS JUST INFORMED ME THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIRS UNDER THE EXISTING 5 YEAR/50,000 MILE DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY THAT HAD NOT EXPIRED AND WAS PROVIDED AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE AGREEMENT IN JULY 2011. THEIR RESPONSE WAS "WE HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE INSPECTION REPORT AND MUST INFORM YOU THAT WE ARE NOT LED TO BELIEVE THAT THE INCIDENT WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURING RESPONSIBILITY."

NHTSA ODI 10734864

I WAS DRIVING MY 2011 JEEP WRANGLER ABOUT 5-8 MPH WHEN I HEARD A POP TYPE OF NOISE. I THEN SAW A FLAME UNDER THE HOOD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. ALL OF A SUDDEN, MY THROTTLE LOCKED UP AND MY CAR WOULDNT STOP. I HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES, BUT MY TIRES KEPT SPINNING. MY ELECTRICAL WAS LOCKED UP AND I COULDNT GET THE JEEP OUT OF DRIVE AND INTO PARK. MY BOYFRIEND RAN OVER, JUMPED IN THE PASSENGER SIDE TO TRY TO GET THE JEEP INTO PARK, AS I COULDNT GET IT TO MOVE. HE FRACTURED HIS HAND IN TWO PLACES GETTING THE GEARSHIFT TO GO INTO PARK. AT THIS POINT THERE WAS BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE UNDER THE HOOD. HE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET IT INTO PARK. AT THAT POINT HE HELPED PULL ME OUT THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE JEEP AS THE FIRE/FLAMES WERE STARTING TO COME THRU THE DASHBOARD INTO THE INSIDE OF THE JEEP. IT TOOK ABOUT AN HOUR TO GET THE FIRE OUT, THEN APPROX. 15-20 MIN LATER THE FIRE STARTED AGAIN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE.

NHTSA ODI 10721669

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 JEEP WRANGLER. AFTER DRIVING 35 MPH AND PARKING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE. MOMENTS LATER, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO SALVAGE YARD WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000.

NHTSA ODI 10705680

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED A FIRE STARTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE BY A NEIGHBOR THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE CONTACTS HOME AND ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,500.

NHTSA ODI 10485250