2001 Jeep Laredo

MY 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE LAREDO FRONT DRIVER SEAT BROKE. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO REPLACE THE SEAT AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND ONE. I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE SEAT BROKE LUCKILY I HAD BOTH HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL TIGHTLY AND SITTING COMPLETELY STRAIGHT OR I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR. IT IS SO WIDESPREAD THAT SEVERAL DIFFERENT BODY SHOPS AND JUNK YARDS HAVE TOLD ME THEY BREAK SO OTHER THEY NEVER CAN GET ONE INTACT. I HAVE LOOKED FOR OEM PARTS WHICH IS MY FIRST CHOICE AND HAVE FOUND THIS ITEM NOT AVAILABLE IT. THE BRACKET UNDER THE SEAT IS NOT VERY SUPPORTIVE AND SEEMS TO BE VERY POORLY MADE(THIN METAL) I AM NOT A MECHANIC BUT I GREW UP AROUND SEVERAL. I AM STILL HOPING TO NOT HAVE TO GIVE MY JEEP UP BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND A SEAT. WE ALSO OWN A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE LIMITED AND WE HAVE NOT HAD ANYWHERE NEAR THE PROBLEMS AS WE HAVE HAD WITH THE 2001 I SERIOUSLY THINK THE 2001-2003 WERE MADE POORLY AND JEEP NEEDS TO STEP UP AND ACCEPT IT AND RECALL THE PROBLEM ITEMS. I HAVE ALREADY HAD HEADLAMP, TAIL LIGHT AND THE GAS TANK RECALLS CORRECTED ON MY JEEP BUT NEXT TO THE GAS TANKS BLOWING UP IN REAR END COLLISIONS THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND UNACCEPTABLE. I HAVE ALSO BY A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP HAD THE "JEEP DEATH WOBBLE CORRECTED" WHICH I HAD NOT HEARD ABOUT UNTIL ANOTHER PERSON AT THE SHOP WHO HAD THE SAME YEAR JEEP SAID I HAD THIS FIXED ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND HE SAID IF I REALLY WANTED TO KNOW HOW BAD IT WAS TO GOOGLE IT AFTER I DID I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO DRIVE MY JEEP. I LOVE MY JEEP FOR MANY OF ITS QUALITIES BUT IF I COULD AFFORD TO I WOULD GO GET A DIFFERENT YEAR JEEP. I DID NOT KNOW THIS SITE WAS HERE UNTIL MY BROTHER TOLD ME SO I WONDER HOW MANY OTHERS ARE OUT THERE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS AND HAVE NOT REPORTED IT. I AM GLAD IT IS HERE I WILL DEFINITELY RESEARCH MY NEXT VEHICLE ON THIS SITE, UNFORTUNATELY I AM DISABLED

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 JEEP LAREDO. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGERS HEATED SEATS WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY AND THE DRIVERS SEAT BECAME INOPERATIVE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V117000 (SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER) DID NOT INCLUDE HER YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,050.

I STARTED NOTICING THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT FELT LIKE IT WAS TIPPING. I ALSO NOTICED A NOISE AND MOVEMENT WHEN I GOT INTO THE SEAT OR TURNED A CORNER WHILE DRIVING. I REMOVED THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT ASSEMBLY AND FOUND THAT THE LEFT FRONT MOUNTING POINT HAD BROKEN AWAY FROM THE FLOOR MOUNTED TRACKS. I REMOVED THE TRACKS FROM THE SEAT FRAME AND FOUND WHERE A WEDGE SHAPED PIECE OF THE SEAT FRAME HAD BROKEN AWAY AT THE MOUNTING HOLE ALLOWING THE SEAT TO ROCK. I FOUND NUMEROUS CRACKS IN THE SEAT FRAME RADIATING OUT FROM THAT SAME MOUNTING HOLE. I ALSO FOUND A CRACK THE TOP OF THE SEAT FRAME POSSIBLY CAUSED DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. TO REPAIR THE FAILURE I WELDED THE WEDGE SHAPED PIECE BACK TO THE FRAME. I ALSO WELDED THE CRACKS RADIATING OUT FROM THAT MOUNTING HOLE. I NOTICED THAT THE MOUNTING HOLES AT ALL FOUR POINTS WERE MUCH LARGER THAN THE MOUNTING STUDS ON THE FLOOR MOUNTED TRACKS. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE FLARED NUTS USED TO MOUNT THE FRAME TO THE TRACKS DIDN'T SEEM WIDE ENOUGH TO ADEQUATELY COVER HOLES AND PROVIDE THE SUPPORT NEEDED TO PREVENT FAILURE. I REMOUNTED THE FRAME ON THE TRACKS USING LARGE WASHERS UNDER THE ORIGINAL FLARED NUTS TO SPREAD THE STRESS OVER MORE OF THE FRAME SURFACE. DURING THE ORIGINAL INSPECTION I FOUND THAT THE OTHER FRONT MOUNTING POINT HAD STARTED TO DISTORT AROUND THE NUT. I FLATTENED THAT BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE WITH A HAMMER. MY CONCERN WOULD BE THAT IF THAT OTHER MOUNTING POINT HAD FAILED DURING A REAR END COLLISION IT COULD HAVE ALLOWED THE SEAT TO PITCH BACK OR BECOME COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE FLOOR MOUNTED TRACKS WITH RESULTING INJURIES. IF IT HAD BECOME DETACHED DURING NORMAL OPERATION IT COULD HAVE CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO. WHILE PROCEEDING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE SEAT COMPONENT COLLAPSED INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO HOLD ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO PREVENT A CRASH. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE SEAT COMPONENT DETACHED FROM THE ENTIRE FRAME. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $636 FOR REPAIRS AND THAT THE FAILURE WAS VERY COMMON FOR HIS PARTICULAR YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL VEHICLE. HE ALSO ATTEMPTED TO LOCATE THE NEEDED PARTS FROM A SALVAGE YARD AND WAS INFORMED NUMEROUS TIMES THAT THE PARTS WAS SO WIDELY NEEDED THAT THEY COULD NOT KEEP THEM IN STOCK. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 171,000.

I OWN A 2001 GRAND CHEROKEE JEEP LAREDO 4X4. THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE EIGHT WAY SEAT. THE HINGED ACTUATOR THAT THE SEAT IS MOUNTED TO HAS FRACTURED CAUSING THE SEAT TO BECOME UNSTABLE. I PERFORMED TESTS THAT REVEALED CRACKS IN THE WELDS AND IN THE COMPONENT PARTS THEMSELVES. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH JEEP AND THEY SAY THERE IS NO PROBLEMS WITH THAT MODEL AND THE SEATS. THEY WILL NOT REPLACE THE PART BECAUSE THE FEEL ITS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

DRIVER'S SEAT WHERE IT MOUNTS TO THE MOVABLE RAILS IS BROKEN. REPEATED CALLS TO VARIOUS USED PART DEALERS SHOWS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS. APPARENTLY AT AROUND 60,000 MILES OR SO THE SEAT BREAKS. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM IN THAT THE SEAT CAN COME LOOSE DURING NORMAL DRIVING, OR DURING AN ACCIDENT CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL, SERIOUS INJURY, OR DEATH. *AK