| Issue ID | 966294 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10500402 |
| Manufacurer | Chrysler Group LLC |
| Brand | JEEP |
| Model | GRAND CHEROKEE |
| Model Year | 2012 |
| File date | 01/02/13 |
| Component | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | The incident occurred during acceleration up an entrance ramp incline from 30 mph to 50 mph entering the highway. When entering the highway a vehicle moved into my path at which time, i quickly moved my foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal to find the brake pedal was hard to press and my car did not respond to any brake pedal input, at that moment. I had to swerve to avoid contact with the other vehicle. A very short time later, the brakes appeared to function normally again. I was able to recreate this condition multiple times and brought my vehicle in for service. They were unable to recreate the condition initially. I rode with the technician and walked him through the steps to recreate my experience. He confirmed the condition existed. The dealership has replaced a brake booster vacuum hose and can still create the condition in my vehicle "a brake pedal that is hard to depress and does not slow/stop the vehicle immediately." chrysler has stated it is aware of this condition in it's pentastar 6 cylinder due to low vacuum brake boost under certain conditions and describes the condition as a "characteristic" of the engine, further explaining the "vehicle is working as intended." while every one at the dealership and chrysler was nice this is a safety concern that needs to be remedied immediately. Not having responsive brakes under all conditions is not acceptable, this is not a "characteristic" but a design flaw that someone needs to address before too many units are on the roads and experience the wrong conditions at the wrong time and someone is not able to swerve or stop in time. I can't imagine this has not occurred already. There is a "chrysler start case" with this information in it. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 10000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | PORTABLE SAFETY COMPLAINT FORM (PDF) |
| City and State | PLANTSVILLE, CT |
| VIN pattern | 1C4RJFCG9CCXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | 6 |
| Drive train type | 4WD |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 50 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |