Recently purchase a new car and immediately had issues. Any advice?

Posted by dfdzcvh@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 54 comments

Hi Reddit, not sure if this is the correct sub but wanted some advice. I recently bought a new Jeep after getting in an accident at the end of April.

I bought ‘26 Jeep Grand Cherokee on April 30th and had to drop it off as there was an issue with the spark plugs on May 13th. The service advisor let me know that day that another advisor recently had issues with getting those parts in as they were restricted and that it took him two weeks to get the parts.

It was a little surprising to hear something like spark plugs taking so long but I didn’t mind. I just checked in today (13 days later) and it sounds like no progress has been made at all. At this point, I’ve had the loaner longer than my actual vehicle (10 days). Is there anything I can do or am I SOL?

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travisjd2012@reddit

My advice would be don't buy a Jeep.

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

Haha, I know that’s the joke; learning this the hard way.

Had a Jeep prior to this for 3 years no issues and several family members that never had issues.

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rddit_bytes@reddit

First off , start with speaking with the manager of the service department. Get your finance and sales advisor involved too. If that doesn’t work, report them to the FTC and Better Business Bureau to get them a resolution. If that still doesn’t work lawyer up and have the lawyer take it from there. With it being this new and it having spark plugs issues , request a full inspection of the vehicle before accepting it

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Frosty-Analysis1520@reddit

Lemon Law it. My brother in law had Jeeps his whole life, they had their '24 Grand Cherokee for about a week before it had months of problems and now he drives a Rivian. Don't get stuck with it, just use your consumer protections immediately - no car should be out for a week on "spark plugs".

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fishin413@reddit

In what state would this qualify for a Lemon Law buyback?

I'll help you out, the answer is none of them.

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Frosty-Analysis1520@reddit

Brother, you don't know how it works - that's fine. It does give you restitution but you have to show that reasonable attempt to repair was made, so you start documenting on this one as the first repair. Don't document, don't get anything back - not sure what you're trying to say here. Yes eventually you can take them to court and get restitution for them selling you a lemon, that's the whole point. If you never do anything, you just get stuck with your car. My state is 2 years <24k miles, or 15 days out of service from first purchase.

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fishin413@reddit

Brother I am far more familiar with this process than you are. Every thing you wrote here is incorrect.

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Individual-Fail4709@reddit

Most states are 30 days down and some have max of 4 repair attempts for the SAME repair.

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Anothertech4@reddit

Searching , " does Jeep make reliable cars" pulls results that's deeply concerning. I hope you are NOT one of those people who refuse to accept the consensus and still went for it.

THe best you can do is take it for warranty because the other issues will be cheaply addressed.

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

I mean sure but you could google bad experiences for literally any company. I have personal experience with a Jeep giving me zero issues until it got wrecked

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Prize-Lychee7973@reddit

lol honda and toyota disagree with this. try again

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

I mean there is literally a recall for Toyota engines right now on 43000. Thanks for your input

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Prize-Lychee7973@reddit

youre an idiot. recalls happen all the time. by brand toyota and honda are the most reliable. did you happen to notice they deployed a fix rapidly and comprehensively and the answer back on it was also specific whereas the cherokee ptu issue is only now (a decade later) being addressed and they still dont have an actual fix, just a notice? also statistical deviation is a thing. jeep owners huff paint the same as hyundai and kia and nissan i swear to god.

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travisjd2012@reddit

Of course you can search the internet that way, but look at independent orgs like Consumer Reports who buy hundreds of cars and test them themselves and don't accept advertisers etc.

You will see Jeep is one of the least reliable vehicles you can purchase.

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

What brands do you recommend for a larger SUV? We went with a Jeep because it fit what we were looking for and had previous good experience with them

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travisjd2012@reddit

Honda Passport TrailSport, Toyota 4Runner

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

Thanks, yeah we were looking at the 4Runner as well

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KingFisher300@reddit

Toyota 4runner, Honda Passport, Mazda CX-90.

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travisjd2012@reddit

I'd avoid the CX-90, has way too many problems

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FrankCastillo95@reddit

The spark plugs issue literally makes no sense. They can't find the issue or it's something else. This thing does not have 100k miles does it?

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7eregrine@reddit

I see you found out how Reddit feels about Jeep. So crazy.

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horribadperson@reddit

You can probably open a case with stellantis/jeep. Depending on how long it takes you may be compensated in someway. If they have it for over the lemon law period for your state then you can ask for a buyback etc, but first thing is to open a case with the manufacturer.

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choppysmash@reddit

This is the way. I worked for a different manufacturer and if customers called corporate they’d sometimes get their back ordered parts faster. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

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MagnusAlbusPater@reddit

Any new car can sometimes have issues right from the factory. It’s better to find it early like this so that it can be handled quickly under warranty.

As long as they’ve given you a loaner and are just waiting on the parts what’s the issue?

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

Honestly that’s how I feel. Everyone who has asked about the situation (family, coworkers, friends) has said I should demand a refund/new car, essentially be a Karen which I don’t agree with. I was given a loaner so I’m chilling but wanted to make sure I was going about it the right way.

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Important-Ad1533@reddit

So, basically, all the people who usually have no idea what they are talking about.

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

That’s what I figured, that’s why I’m here for third opinions

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choppysmash@reddit

Couldn’t hurt to reach out to Jeep customer service.

While is too soon to be calling for a buyback, having a paper trail with Jeep corporate is a good idea if this continues to be an issue.

Especially because they may give you something for your trouble to keep you happy or at least get you the parts faster. No need to be a “Karen” just a simple “hey, I just bought this car and it’s already been in the shop for weeks, can you do something to resolve this?”

Worst they do is give you a canned apology response and you continue to drive a loaner until your car is fixed.

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Educational_Fox6899@reddit

As long as you’re in a loaner, I wouldn’t worry too much. You’ve still got years of warranty to find out if there are more serious issues. I do agree with others that it sounds like more than just a spark plug though. It’s just unbelievable they wouldn’t have those in stock or be able to source them fast.

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troycalm@reddit

Don’t buy American cars.

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Prize-Analyst-1121@reddit

100% agree. If I ever have enough money again to buy a new vehicle you can bet your ass it won't be American.

I'm all for buying American but you gotta put a product out that's worth buying and supporting.

American car manufacturers don't make that product anymore. They make them just long enough to get through the warranty and that's it.

IF you're lucky.

They did a good job yrs ago convincing people to buy American and now they just take advantage of the brainwashing.

American companies used to make good high quality products you could count on and had good value.

But everything Corporate American owned and run these days is a......"Fuck you give me your money" transaction !!

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troycalm@reddit

I worked for an independent repair shop on a street that was completely lined with dealerships. We would get “New” American cars, paint peeling off,ball joints loose, swaybar link bushings missing, differentials with no fluid, noisy wheel bearings, etc etc etc.

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KingFisher300@reddit

Jeep is not an American car.

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ColdCelebration2132@reddit

JEEP Just Empty Every Pocket

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SmartGreasemonkey@reddit

Jeep has been the number one vehicle to avoid buying for many years.

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Prize-Analyst-1121@reddit

Look to see if they have a lemon law in your state.

If they do, use it if you can.

Tell them you shouldn't be having these issues right off the bat and then to find out they have problems getting parts on top doesn't sit well with you.

Don't you have a month you can return one at some dealerships ?

Also why would you get a Dodge, Jeep or Chrysler at this point ?

Stellantis is well known for having pretty bad reliability and electrical issues.

As much as I'm all for buying American.

Unless you're rich and can afford to blow money away, one of the Japanese vehicles is a lot more practicle if you want a reliable vehicle.

Good luck man it seems you'll be regretting this purchase for a long time down the road if you can't get out of it.

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TheKiddIncident@reddit

There is no way they cannot get sparkplugs for two weeks. That is a very common item. Most likely, there is another part they are waiting for. I've owned three Jeeps and have never had a problem like this. A Jeep under warranty normally gets serviced in just a few days.

I would check for recall. Check your VIN with Jeep to see if this is a recall issue. If so, the dealer most likely broke the law. They are not allowed to sell you a car with open recalls. You may need a lawyer.

It depends on your state, but in most states lemon law requires multiple attempts to fix. Long waits for parts (if that is actually the issue) don't normally trigger lemon law.

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Erasemenu@reddit

If the dealer told you they're limited on how many they can order and that it is gonna take weeks, it's not spark plugs they're waiting on. The parts that are limited are called "Managed Allocation" parts and are almost exclusively recall related. Sounds more like they sold a vehicle without all the recalls being done, which they are not allowed to do, and are now trying to cover.

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Optimassacre@reddit

Unless Jeep hasn't issued a recall for the failing part yet. If it doesn't directly effect the safety of the vehicle, I don't think they have to recall it. This could also be a band new issue and they just haven't come out with an official statement or a longterm fix and procedure yet.

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Individual-Fail4709@reddit

Ask them if there is a warrantable OEM alternative to the plugs they are trying to get and can't. Be a pest. Call every day. Escalate to the service manager or parts and service director. Ask for them to open a technical assistance case.

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Legitimate-Ranger567@reddit

Speak to a local attorney about lemon laws in your state.

Generally if a new car is repaired a specific number of times, or spends a specific number of days in the shop within 6 months or a year of purchase they are required to "buy back" the car and give you a refund.

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Frosty-Analysis1520@reddit

Lemon law. Spark plugs are a readily replaceable consumable in a car there's no reason that a dealer should have it more than a couple of hours to replace them. I can almost guarantee that's not the only issue, they're trying to patch something else up and are waiting for parts.

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Important-Ad1533@reddit

He didn’t say it was spark plugs, but a spark plug ISSUE. That could be any number of things, related to electrics and plugs.

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dfdzcvh@reddit (OP)

sorry, I should’ve been more clear. Yes it was specifically a spark plug that is causing the issue

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N47881@reddit

Can only use OE supplied parts for warranty repairs. Very possible the p/n is on bo

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Frosty-Analysis1520@reddit

If that's reality their parts department/supply manager needs to be fired for not doing their job, or Jeep is really fucking up their supply chain and even more reason to avoid like the plague.

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Top-Work-4425@reddit

Definitely sounds sus

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nopester24@reddit

if its new it should be covered under warranty. also dont buy jeep

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scream4cheese@reddit

Lemon law

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bradland@reddit

You need to look into the Lemon Laws in your state. Unfortunately, they're different in each state. Lemon Laws can force the dealer to buy back the vehicle if a repair takes too long, or if repeated attempts at fixing the problem are unsuccessful. The specifics are spelled out in your state's laws.

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