NHTSA complaint #11619649

Owner complaint summary

I would like to express a concern with how Jeep is handing the issue with the hybrid batteries in the Wrangler 4XE. I'm connected with the 4XE across the US and Canada and I am seeing issues with how they are addressing the potential for fires in the batteries. In my case, my Jeep was initially part of the B9A recall but was removed from the list. I was on the 04B recall list and had that update performed. A few months later, my battery triggered the P0BBD code that indicated that I needed a new battery. We have seen this trend in the 4XE community where someone who wasn't on the B9A list ended up having a battery issue. Some of these instances include Jeeps that were on the 04B list but had yet to receive that update because Jeep communicated that it was a "defrost" recall without telling customers that they were receiving the same updates that were included in the B9A. So some people are putting off a very important recall because they believe it is just a defrost recall. After I had my battery replaced, the latest 95B recall was issued. My Jeep is on this recall list even though I just had a new battery installed. It would sure seem like the issue with the separators in the battery would have already been known when my new battery was installed. To me, that is an unsafe mishandling of the situation to put a known faulty battery in during a replacement. I do not feel that Jeep is handing these battery issues well and I believe they need some sort of accountability in place to make sure they are truly resolving the issue and not putting band aids on a major issue. We have tracked some data in the 4XE community and are aware that way more batteries were impacted than Jeep announced would be. As well, many batteries have had to be replaced after the recall. This tell me that either Jeep isn't being very forthcoming with the data or they just don't know the correct method for addressing this matter. We need something done before someone gets hurt or killed.