So I'm driving into work the other day and its raining like crazy out...its dark and visiblility isnt that great.. im driving about 30 miles an hour when i run into a puddle of standing water on the roadway caused by leaves clogging a drain. The puddle is about 10 feet long by about 20 feet and its about 3" deep. I go through the puddle because i dont see it immediately against the dark pavement...I was happy i didnt hydroplane or anything like that but as i exit the puddle my jeep stalls and will not start. I checked the air intake...dry as a bone...fuse box, battery,spark plugs, pretty much everything under my hood is completely dry.....jeep still wont start....I figured I got water onto some piece of electronics somewhere that would just take a little while to dry out then i would be on my way..(even though its a jeep for christs sake...and should be able to handle a little water..) 2 hrs go by and it still will not start and i could not figure what caused the problem...battery good, starter trying to turn over engine...blah blah blah...move on to next troubleshoot..
I END UP HAVING TO TOW MY 2011 JEEP WRANGLER ,WITH 9000 MILES ON IT, TO A DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT WILL NOT START AFTER DRIVING THROUGH A PUDDLE ON THE FREAKIN ROAD!!!!
Can you sense my anger???? Now Im late for work..My uniform is F'd up from standing in water and being rained on while trying to figure out why my new jeep wont start for 2 hours and i have to call friends to pick me up and drive to work. At this point it 11:00 pm.
My buddy dropped me off at the dealership in the morning and I tried to start it again thinking that it would have dried out after 10 hrs but it still wouldnt start..
Long story short....Dealership charges me 92.00(actually 100.00 after tax) to fix problem....It turns out that when I hit the puddle the water forced my fuel line up and over the corner of the gas tank. in the process it pinched the fuel line thus cutting off the gas to the engine.....If I had not been in my work clothes I probably would have crawled under the jeep to look but I thought that it was an electrical prob.
It seems to me that this is a design flaw??? You guys think I should have had to pay all the diagnostics fees...I mean I was just driving into work in the rain...Its BS....
ohh ya...I also started researching this after I found out what happened and I found that therer have been several similar cases where this happened....so if it does happen to you look at the fuel line......I ended up zip tyin the fuel line to the wiring harness so that it doesnt happen again...You guys might want to do the same unless my jeep was built on a friday and someone forgot to secure my fuel line with zip ties....I honestly dont know why I should pay anything for a problem that to me is looking more like a design flaw thatn anything else...SOOOO...WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK??? I am going to fire off an email to chrysler in a day or two but wanted some opinions....Or questions you have. Thanks

 

I would definitely send a message to Chrysler. If that is in fact something that occurs often they may make it a recall item and cover it. Worst case, they will give you a few free oil changes and send you on your way...

 

Yeah, that's unnacceptable. Contact Chrysler.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9qEl...e_gdata_player

Show them that and ask them to explain.

 

X2. Give them a piece of your mind

 

I had to replace the tank on my 2007 JKU. the fuel lines all snap into molded in "clips" on the top of the tank. I find that really hard to figure out how it did that. I assume it was at the front of the tank? I bet the lines were not secured into the molded in retainers on the top of the tank.

 

That's bs. Sounds just like a Chrysler dealership. With 9000 miles. Did you ask to talk to the store manager?

 

This thread describes almost exactly what I experienced last week (12/27/2012) except my puddle was MUCH smaller and my repair costs MUCH higher. Honestly, I figured that this was a fuel problem and I assumed (incorrectly) that it was electronics related since that's the only way I figured a small water puddle could cause this problem. Had I known that my warranty was not going to cover repair costs I would have repaired it myself!

My dealer stated that I needed a new fuel line because the line was very brittle. Hmm.... 2010 Sahara with < 50K miles??? Sounds like another problem in addition to the fuel and vapor lines separating from the pump (what the dealer claims).

My insurance is going to handle this after my $500 deductible but I want to file some sort of complaint/grievance. Suggestions anyone???

 

Good to know. Running a 12' but will have to check this out regardless.

 

Yeah, I have a 2012 and I'll be checking this out, too. Thanks for the heads up.