Something doesnt seem right
Crossmember is under extended warranty
But not other suspension parts
Dealer should have given you a break down of covered parts and whats not covered
Never heard of a dealer claiming vehicle totaled
Something seems very wrong

If they are not paying you for the vehicle they cannot force you to total it
I have gone through totaled vehicles through insurance and choice was always up to me and i generally took the money bought the vehicle back from insurance and fixed it myself

 

Whoa, sorry to hear that! Im from south TX so ive never dealt with anything like that. My brother moved to MA 2 years ago and is learning the hard way about salt and rust. If I remember correctly Chrysler had a buyback program for some of their products with recall issues, im sure financially it just make more sense to buyback vs repair. from what I heard they were offering "fair market value" plus $1000-$2000 towards trade in for another vehicle. So maybe just KBB +$1000 is what I would expect/demand as a minimum.

 

Reach out to Jeep Cares on this website. Andrea and Kori work for FCA and monitor this website for problems such as yours. I'd PM them and see if they can help. My first guess is that people in S. Cal. probably don't see rust like we get in NH. That said, I recently had my '08 checked for rusty crossmemebers and came out clean. Apparently it doesn't happen to all of them. Again I'm guessing, but I wonder if one supplier was using inferior materials.

 

Wow, totaled because of corrosion. Thats a first for me.

Could be the dealership is pulling a fast one wanting you to trade it in for a new something or other vehicle.
Might want to take it to a different Chrysler dealer and see what they say.

I would also contact Chrysler Corporate to see if this is all legit and if so what your options are.
You might also research California vehicle lemon laws.

The dealer's totaling of the vehicle at first glance because of corrosion doesn't seem to pass the smell test!

 

It isn't unheard of, for the Toyota recall of older Tacomas/Tundras for frame rust they repaired (replaced the frame) trucks where the vehicle was worth the cost of the repair and bought back (at high blue-book + an additional trade bonus if the owner bought another Toyota vehicle) and crushed the trucks that were worth less than the cost of repairs, so it isn't inconceivable that FCA would have a similar policy on Patriot sub-frame rust. But with that being said as others have mentioned I'd definitely verify everything is legit (preferably directly with FCA, I wouldn't necessarily trust what the dealer says without verification) and that the buyback offer is sufficient (compare it with what similar vehicles are selling for in your area) and they aren't trying to low-ball you.

 

thanks for all of the feedback. it's getting weird. it's been a month and i've only talked to the service advisor and no one from FCA, so i have no idea what they'll offer. the service advisor says the car is unsafe to drive so maybe i don't want to try out other dealerships.

 

stratjim, keep us posted on the outcome. This is interesting.

If you were to go to a reputable car restorer, they can re-build anything.
But would that expensive re-build be be worth it to you?

If my 2000 Jeep XJ was totaled for any reason, the book value would be peanuts.
For kicks, when i bought my Pat, i asked the dealer how much for my XJ in trade-in.
$1500 and said he was being generous. He said they would sell it to a used car auction outfit.
Never mind its in great condition for a 17 yr. old vehicle and i spent thousands restoring it.

That old Jeep is worth a 100 times that trade-in amount to me.
Its the only vehicle i ever custom ordered from the factory back in 2000.
In fact the window sticker said: 'This vehicle was built for myname.
With my name on the window sticker, how could i trade it in especially for pennies on the dollar! lol

I think it all depends on how attached one is to a vehicle and its rarety, vintage value, options, etc.

 

Hi stratjim1,

If you'd like to PM our page with your VIN I'd be happy to look into this further for you!

Andrea
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

Its a mix of liability, actual cost of repairs, and availability of parts. There's a good chance that they will save money by getting you either money or into a steeply discounted new vehicle, vs the repairs, especially if there is rust damage in areas that would make it hard to repair, probably requiring welding in new metal.

 

after a month, I finally got my car back from the dealer exactly as it was when I dropped it off. I did get them to throw the car on a lift so I could see the damage. Certainly the rear crossmember was compromised as it had holes rotted right thru it and some heavy arms that run from the crossmember to the rear wheels had surface rust on it. The front looked fine as it was protected by the splash/rock shield.
I also got the parts list, they made up for FCA. the total was $9450.00 in parts alone. they had just about every component under the car to be replaced including rear rotors and calipers which I had replaced under a year ago. They were even replacing the muffler!
I figured (cynical as I am) that the dealership was trying to make some dough off of FCA or they just didn't want to touch the car at all.
I've got a phone number and case number with FCA, but i'm thinking I'll ask to let me take the car to another dealer and see if they concur with the first dealership's recommendation. I really don't want to take the $4K-$5K they'll offer and go car shopping.

 

Did you talk to our friends at JeepCares? That's what they're here for!

 

Something still doesnt seem right
Where abouts are you from?
I have redone my suspension completely front and rear upper/lowers tie rods
Total aftermarket cost of parts was $800 dealer cost was $1200
Believe they are taking you for a ride
I would pull the pat and take it elsewhere
And gave them replace crossmembers under warranty

 

last friday, i had an extensive conversation with a jeep rep in detriot. she was very nice, but kept asking what the local jeep dealer was doing for me. i replied, absolutely nothing. "what did they tell you when you picked up your car?" she asked. "good luck" was what they said in so many words. so she said pretty much that i had to deal with the local jeep rep. I asked who that was, a name & number, maybe. she said she'd get back to me. that was a week ago and nothing.
i'm ready to g to the local tv guy, consumer bob, and see if some bad pub will get a response from these guys.

 

Did you take it to a different dealer? I would take it to multiple dealers to see if there is another solution to your dilemma.

 

Sounds like you have a car that is not safe to be driven. Why would you?

 

After 3 months, my situation had finally reached a conclusion and i'm none too happy about it. After the first dealer who inspected my crossmembers told me, 1. that Jeep authorized the full repairs to the underside of my car and they were awaiting parts, and, 2., after further consideration, Jeep has decided to total my car and a buy out offer would be coming. after 3 weeks dealing with FCA and getting no satisfaction (not even a return call) i got a call from a guy, Joe, in Dallas FCA.
He sounded concerned and said he was going to do everything he could to resolve the situation. so i took it to another Jeep dealer in the area and he confirmed that there was much more corrosion than just the crossmembers (reminder, this car has only 75k!). Joe sounded concerned and made a few calls and then got back to me (at least he called back) with the conclusion that FCA were only required to replace the crossmember but would not even do that unless I paid for all the other components that they said needed replacement (the parts list was $9400.00) and that there was no buy-out option. So I was lied to on 2 occasions.
So i'm just screwed. FCA will do nothing about the fact that they sold me a car that has corroded beyond repair after just 75k. it's not worth repairing...I can't sell it in good conscience. If it breaks and i have an accident, i will sue there ass and see if the courts think they're liable.
i've owned 2 cherokees before this patriot, but i feel i'm thru with jeeps. FCA is worthless and cares not for their customers and Jeep Cares is a joke. Jeep cares only for their profits.
i have contacted my lawyer and he suggested arbitration thru NCDS. we'll see.

 

I don't think the low miles matter... it's an 08 so it's older. I've seen absolutely terrible rust issues on newer cars 2012+ and that's cause the owners never "cared" for their vehicle
How often did you maintain your vehicle?
Did you wash it regularly in the winter things like that matter when it comes to rust

 

If that was the case all my cars should be rust buckets
I rarely wash my cars believer thats what rain is for
Washed the pat 2-3 times a year
Waxed it 2-3 times over past 10 years
Spent years driving on the beach surf fishing
Northeast winters
Corrosion never an issue

 

Do you have 2 threads going on this? Seems I just responded to another identical post.

My Patriot was purchased as a snow car and we get plenty in NH. Half the year (Mother's day this year, Memorial Day 3 years ago) significant snow is possible. Our DOT loves salt so my Patriot has seen more than its share -- I figure I drive about double most people -- so in 9 years its seen as much salt/snow as a comparable vehicle in 18 years. No corrosion, or even surface rust. I can't imagine what happened to yours.

 

yes i did wash my car on a regular basis, winter and summer.
as to why some rust and some don't, jeep buys components from many different suppliers and obviously they purchased a bunch of crappy crossmembers at some point in time. the fact that they won't stand by their vehicle is mind boggling to me. i remember toyota had a similar corrosion issue and they stepped and did the right thing...bought back the trucks and crushed them.
and i can't believe that a jury wouldn't find them liable in an accident caused by these crossmembers. they've acknowledged that they put garbage crossmembers on their vehicle and they know that mine are corroded beyond repair yet chose to do nothing about it and let me drive on my way. corporate malfeasance, i say.