Jeep->ke40 may have another safety issue on its hands after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received nine complaints of 2014-model-year Jeep Grand Cherokees suddenly braking with no warning and with no hazards in front of them. Causing this issue is the Grand Cherokee’s adaptive cruise control with automatic emergency braking.
In an effort to explore the issue, the NHTSA has posted notice of a probe, which covers roughly 20,000 Grand Cherokees from the 2014 model year. Thankfully, there are no reported injuries or wrecks associated with the issue.
According to a report by the Associated Press, several of the nine complaints logged with the NHTSA say the emergency braking system malfunctions multiple times during a drive.
One complaint reads, "I was driving on the freeway going 65 mph with no cars around me or in sight. All of the sudden the car dashboard said Brake! And the car applied the ABS brakes and abruptly slowed the car down to 40 mph! I was so scared at that point."
Other complaints state that dealerships have not been able to duplicate or fix the problem. One goes on to say the dealer found a whopping 57 diagnostic trouble codes in a particular Grand Cherokee’s computer.
FCA spokesman Eric Mayne told the AP that Grand Cherokee owners who have experienced the problem should take their vehicle to the dealership for evaluation. Mayne also said owners can opt to completely deactivate the automatic braking system should the desire.
Continue reading for the full story.
Why it matters
Sudden and uncontrollable braking during normal driving isn’t exactly what any driver wants to face. This could pose serious consequences during heavy traffic, or during inclement weather situations. Jeep is already dealing with some 20 different recalls with the NHTSA for various vehicles spanning multiple decades, so adding this iron to the fire isn’t exactly welcomed. Hopefully for Jeep’s sake the problem is easily fixed and can be remedied before anyone gets hurt.