DENVER — More than seven months after Jeep's parent company recalled over 63,000 Cherokees from model years 2017 to 2019 for a defect that could “cause a vehicle crash without prior warning,” there is still no reported fix. One Colorado driver told Denver7 Investigates the company’s rental replacement policy adds insult to injury.
Kaity Klonowski chose a 2019 Jeep Cherokee to enjoy all of the adventures Colorado has to offer.
“I like to ski or go for hikes in the summertime, and depending on the dirt road, certainly, you need the four-wheel drive,” Klonowski said. “I love driving my Jeep. Honestly, I've had a pretty great experience with it.”
That changed when a service warning light came on, telling her to service the four-wheel drive. Receipts show her dealership found the issue in the power transfer unit — the same faulty part in the recall.
“So that’s scary,” she said. "It’s a safety concern. It has been stressful.”
Klonowski took her car to the dealership, where it's been for weeks.
Rental policy leaves gap for drivers
Even though the recall was announced in January, Stellantis has no reported repair available.
Klonowski requested a loaner vehicle. In an email, Stellantis representatives said the company would only reimburse up to $50 a day and only after Klonowski paid up front, with reimbursement taking up to two weeks once it has been received and reviewed.
“I am planning my wedding, and that’s expensive, and I don’t have all these extra funds right now to devote to an issue that I did not cause,” she said. "Also, for a vehicle that’s going to be safe for me to drive in the winter with four-wheel drive, that’s going to likely be more than $50 a day, just based on the options that I’ve looked at."
Stellantis has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Denver7 Investigates.
Consumer advocates say fix the rental gap
Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS), said automakers should offer immediate loaner cars or direct rentals when they issue recalls for unsafe vehicles, especially when repairs aren’t yet available.
“I’ve heard from so many consumers who’ve been in this situation,” Shahan said. “That’s a real hardship. Consumers shouldn’t have to front the money to pay for a rental car and then wait to be reimbursed, especially when the manufacturers don’t have a hard-and-fast date when they promise that the repair will be available.”
Shahan said that weak lemon laws in Colorado "fail to protect consumers."
"In California, we have a lemon law that sometimes will kick in, and people have been able to get a total refund for the car when it’s a situation like this,” Shahan said.
In the meantime, Klonowski is carpooling with her fiancé, but said Stellantis needs to step up.
“I would just like them to take responsibility and to offer loaner cars even, or reimburse — not just reimburse people after the fact and not expect like families to pay out of pocket for this,” she said.
