A Georgia woman says she got a recall notice from Jeep about an issue with her battery that causes a fire risk. Now she’s incensed. And she’s not only upset with the Jeep dealership that sold it to her, but also with what she perceives as a lack of urgency about her safety.
TikTok creator Cassie (@cassiecakesbakery) generally posts about her bakery business. Earlier this month, she posted a video about her Jeep troubles. “Hey, guys, so I’m still at the dealership and it’s been about five hours now. And I have an update,” she said.
Cassie says she and her husband spent the day at the Don Jackson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership looking for a solution for her 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe, which is a plug-in hybrid. Last year, Chrysler, which, along with Jeep, is owned by Stellantis, issued a recall of Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models over an unresolved issue with the battery pack that can cause it to catch fire.
“So if you’ve been following along this little Jeep saga, you know I have a recall on my Jeep,” Cassie says. “And basically that recall tells us that I am not to park by any structures, nor can I use the hybrid battery that I paid for—that I love.”
Why Hasn’t the Jeep Recall Been Resolved?
Cassie explains, “The hybrid battery could ignite at any point. So it could be running. I could be driving it. It could be parked in the middle of the night on the street. It could just go up in flames and burn down everything around it.”
She is correct. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advisory, Chrysler is still working on a solution to the problem, and owners should park their vehicles outside and away from any flammable structures until a solution is available.
So Cassie and her husband went back to the dealership where they purchased their Wrangler 4xe. After initially speaking to the service manager, Cassie says she and her husband waited an hour to speak with the general manager. Then she says they were escorted to the sales department, where the representative tried to sell them a comparable Jeep.
The only problem was that they offered her only $32,000 for the trade-in, even though she says her vehicle is currently worth upwards of $40,000. That was the first red flag in Cassie’s eyes.
The Second and Third Jeep Dealership ‘Red Flags’
The couple then decided to test drive another Jeep. “After that they told us it was $52,000 and they were not willing to come down on the price at all,” she says. “Even though it was the baseline Jeep. It was a Sport. Granted, they did do a kit on it. Still, that doesn’t equal $52,000.”
What was the third red flag? Cassie says her husband went to the general manager and told him they were upset that they’d been sold the Jeep in the first place, when there was already a recall for previous model years.
“The general manager, and I quote, looked at Will and said, ‘Well, it’s common sense. The salesman is not going to tell you there’s a recall on 2022 and 2023 when you’re about to purchase a 2024. Why would he do that?'” Cassie said.
She answered, “Because it’s a cycle of repeated problems with a vehicle. You only cared about the sale. You obviously didn’t care about putting me in a Jeep that is going to catch on fire. So do you want to know what the solution was that we actually walked out with?”
According to Cassie, the general manager wrote down a 1-800 number that he said they could call to get a loaner vehicle while Jeep figures out the recall solution. “That was it,” she says. “They don’t care.”
Viewers React to the Jeep Wrangler 4xe Nightmare
In the comments section, viewers weighed in on the Jeep 4xe battery recall and the state of Stellantis, Chrysler, and Jeep. Many Jeep enthusiasts believe that the brand went downhill after the acquisition.
“Stellantis should have to buy all of them back,” wrote one viewer. “How can you buy a car and then be told don’t drive it? I’ve had six Jeeps and one currently. This will be my last.”
“Problem will never be solved,” agreed a fellow Jeep owner. “We have been waiting a year for a fix.”
“Feels like a new brand of car is in your future,” said a third person. “Check out the safety recalls of the cars you are considering before you test drive. Don’t fall in love with a car before you know what you might be in for. Jeep isn’t known for its reliability, unfortunately.”
Over a week ago, Don Jackson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram told Motor1 it wanted to schedule a call to discuss the matter. It did not respond to multiple follow up inquiries. Motor1 contacted Cassie via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We’ll update this article if either gets back to us.