Hey guys,

Has any of you been through the lemon law process on a Jeep?

Here is my story:

I bought a new 2016 sport on June 30th, 2016. At 600 miles and the first time it rained since I bought it, it started leaking. Every time it rained, it would run from the lower trim piece (assuming it's coming in from the door and running down) into the carpet. I brought it in and the dealer only had it for a day and said they couldn't duplicate the issue. The very next day it rained and poured into the jeep, soaking the carpet. Took it back and they said the did some adjustments and its fixed. That night we had a storm and it was soaked again, actually pooling in the carpet now. Took it back and they tried to fix it again, but this time they said they contacted Jeep and opened a star case on it. I picked it up and a day later, I sent video to the dealer of it leaking again, but worse this time. Took it back and they did the fix Jeep wanted them to do, but instead of making a new invoice, they just added the work to the invoice prior with the star case on it. They told me that it was actually classified as one visit since they only opened a case on it last time.
Well, the fix didn't work. It was better on the driver side but much worse on the passenger side. This time, before taking it in, I contacted jeep. Talked to someone in Jeep Wave and she setup a rental for me so I could drop it off that day. Well, 7 days later, the dealer called me and said it was finally done. They replaced every door seal, upper and lower (I have factory half doors).
I took the Jeep home that night and checked to see if it was actually fixed. I got my water hose and had my son spray the water up in the air so that it would fall like rain as I sit in the jeep. Unfortunately, it was not fixed. This time it was leaking from multiple spots instead of just the one area before.
Today, I sent off the lemon law letter, giving them a final opportunity to fix the vehicle and if not fixed, Law states I qualify for a replacement.
I also have had another problem from square one. My HVAC system stays in recirculate mode even when it shows to be off. You have to push the recirc button a few times before it switches to fresh air mode. My dealer also contacted Jeep about this after replacing the head unit with no fix and Jeep told them to pull another off the lot and check it. Well it did the same thing, so Jeep told my dealer it was normal operation. Hahaha!!! Right! The dealer didn't even understand that one!

 

All work I have had done at dealerships have been very sub par. As a matter of fact, I have had my JKUR for nine years and have a life time warr. on it. Not one single time have I brought it in have they fixed the problem the first time, resulting in me having to bring it back. Finding a leak in the vehicle is easy once you know how, and have the right machine really helps. I'm sure you could find it in the interior network of the the world wide website.

 

Good luck getting the half doors to seal well. The best seals come straight out of the factory. A generic body guy cannot finesse it to where it won't leak. Unfortunately it's something the community has accepted until they post the jeep for sale.

Your hvac and radio are other issues that should be fixable with a flash but it sounds like you've made up your mind.

Best of luck with your adventures from here forward.

 

I have gone through this issue many times with a few different Wranglers. The terrible thing about this is since 2007, Jeep has knowingly produced this vehicle with these water leak defects! I myself am in the auto business and I do not want to spend my spare time in someone elses dealership. The dealership people can not fix a water leak permanantly. They continue to leak. Part of it has to do with the crap material the factory uses, and the other part has to do with the fact that they cannot duplicate how rain falls to trace the source of the leak. Even if they find the source, it is remedied with the same defective material that the vehicle came with from the factory. Hence leaks still to come.
Document everything, have patience, follow your states Lemon Law Rights to a TEE. Then they will have to either buy back or replace the vehicle with another. Good luck! This should NOT be a Jeep thing.

 

Thank you for the info! I agree, it should not be something I should call "normal".
I admit, I didn't buy no 50k Rubicon, but mine was still 30k which is still a big chunk of money. There are Chevy Aveos on the road that cost 15k new and they don't leak like my Jeep!
I have been very nice through this situation. I have not cursed anyone out although it's very tempting to put them in their place.
I will follow all the lemon law guidelines through this process and I have everything documented with pics and videos.
Thanks again for all your help guys!

 

It's honestly just "typical" for our model. You've got a few posts, you should know. My 2000 leaked into the soft doors but nothing more than that. I got used to it. My 2010 doesn't leak an ounce and I love it.

 

I went through the lemon process on a Dodge RAM back in 2000. You've generally got to prove that the issues are safety related, recurring, and incurable. I made no progress trying to resolve it myself and eventually hired a lawyer who procured a solution in 3 weeks.

While the situation is frustrating, IMHO you're not at the replacement stage yet. Based on what I know now, I'm convinced the dealer and their techs were half of the problem. If it were me, I'd take it to another dealer and get new people involved.

 

Wait... Jeeps leak? Nooooo, no way!

 

Another person heard from. Joking or not, the situation needs to be remedied. If you feel all you are going to do is live with it, then you are really backwards to say it most politely.

 

dude welcome to jeep life. rip your carpet out and dont worry about it. They all leak. if your jeep doesn't smell like the outdoors then you probably don't deserve to own one.