There is something about a Jeep that car buyers just can’t seem to resist. Perhaps it is the rugged off-roading image, the allure of adventure, or the dream of riding around the beach, town, or mountains in the open air. It is certainly not the reality of jolting transmissions, locked up steering, leaking tops, and the fear that they’ve been sold a lemon Jeep. But when the dream fades, what can Jeep owners do with their problem Jeep?

What’s Your Jeep Problem?

As lemon lawyers, we hear complaints from Jeep owners in states across the country every week. Some of them may sound familiar to you:

Perhaps your Jeep is one of the Jeep Wranglers with a “death wobble” or a Jeep Gladiator with loose steering? The death wobble appears as a violent shaking in the steering typically after hitting a bump or uneven road surface. It is most common in the Wrangler, probably due to the solid front axle design, but it is also experienced by drivers who own Cherokee and Gladiator Jeep lemons. Loose steering in the Gladiator is reported by owners who feel their truck drift or have too much play in their steering wheel. This often happens at highway speeds or in warmer weather.

Maybe your Jeep is not so much wobbling, as jerking and jolting. Are you experiencing grinding noises, sticky shifting, or rough idling? It could be that you have a faulty transmission in your new Jeep. It is a common complaint across the Jeep lineup, and a major issue in a new vehicle, especially if you, like some Jeep owners, have to completely replace the transmission to repair the defect.

If not the death wobble, loose steering, or a defective transmission, then perhaps you have a Grand Cherokee or Compass with a glitchy or broken infotainment system. A recent J.D. Power survey found that infotainment systems are the most problematic area in new cars today. Jeep uses the Uconnect system which causes numerous problems for Jeep owners such as flickering touchscreens, poor connectivity, and complete shutdown.

On top of all these problems, Jeep owners often also deal with leaks. A quick internet search serves up pages and pages of hacks and fixes for dealing with leaks in your Jeep doors, windows, soft top, and hard top. Some Jeep Wrangler owners consider this (like the death wobble associated with the solid front axle design) something that you just have to deal with when you have the removable doors and top of a Wrangler. However, leaks can not only be annoying but can cause permanent damage to your vehicle through rusting, mold, upholstery damage, and electrical problems.

Jeep owners do not have to rely on internet hacks to deal with problems in their new Jeep. Instead, the time would be better spent learning about the lemon law Jeep is required to uphold. Understanding the Jeep lemon law is essential for every Jeep Cherokee, Renegade, and Wrangler owner. The law provides important protection in the event that you purchase a lemon. The law protects people who have recently bought a Jeep, and gives them options to get their defective Jeep repaired (for free) at the dealership, have it replaced, or get their money back after a reasonable amount of time. So, if you’ve been grappling with constant issues in your new Jeep, you may be dealing with a “lemon,” and the Jeep lemon law can be your pathway to a resolution.

Should You File a Jeep Lemon Law Claim?

You may qualify for a Jeep lemon law claim if your recently purchased Jeep is jerking, wobbling, glitching, or leaking. However, there are a few steps in the Jeep lemon law process before you contact a law firm. Here are a few things that you can do:

1. Check for recalls. You should receive a letter in the mail to notify you about any recalls on your Jeep but you can also check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website for recalls on your specific vehicle. If there is a recall for your Jeep, your dealer should complete the repairs at no cost to you.
2. Go to a Jeep dealer for free repair. If you purchased your Jeep recently, you are likely still within your warranty period, and any problems should be repaired for free under your new vehicle warranty. If your vehicle is not under warranty or subject to a recall, you may still be entitled to a free repair under state lemon laws. Lemon laws protect buyers of new (and sometimes used) vehicles by requiring the manufacturer to repair significant problems within a limited time. If the manufacturer cannot or does not repair a lemon vehicle, they must replace it or give the buyer their money back. When you go to your Jeep dealer, you need to keep a record of EVERYTHING. We talk about some of the documents that you should keep here.
3. Call a lemon law attorney. You may think that there should be a few more steps before calling an attorney but in lemon law claims, there really are not. Because lemon laws make manufacturers pay all the legal fees in a successful lemon law claim, there is no risk or cost to you in calling in the professionals. An experienced lemon law attorney, like the team at Timothy Abeel & Associates, can listen to your individual problem, advise you on whether or not you have a lemon law claim, and handle the entire claim, all at no cost to you.

If you are having problems with your recently purchased Jeep, and you are wondering if you have bought a lemon, contact us for a free case review. We have been helping Jeep owners get cash back or a replacement vehicle for years, and we want to help you too.

Timothy J. Abeel & Associates, P.C. represent clients throughout California, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Reviews can be seen on AVVO, Google, Glen Mills Yelp, Roseland Yelp, & Pittsburgh Yelp.