This vehicle suffered a sudden; catastrophic hydraulic brake fluid leak and complete system failure shortly after a service visit with only 700 miles total on the new vehicle. Hours prior to the failure, Lindsay Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Manassas, VA (where the vehicle was purchased new, earlier that month) performed and signed off on a multi-point inspection as fully functional while the vehicle was taken in for other warranty service (non safety or brake related). As a former mechanic, I inspected the vehicle immediately when I arrived home on the same day and discovered the brake fluid reservoir was almost half empty with fluid actively leaking and pooling on the frame and around the inner fender! Due to the catastrophic safety risk, the vehicle was immediately towed to Safford Jeep of Fredericksburg, VA to due it being geographically closer to my home, confirming the safety failure, and fixing the following defective components: Brake Hydraulic Control Unit and ABS Module. Lindsay Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Manassas, VA (the originally servicing dealership) completely falsified the multi-point safety inspection that they signed off on, sending my vehicle on public roads in Northern Virginia, some of the most dangerous traffic in the world. Of note, I also drive the vehicle to/from work almost 100 miles per day during the week to/from Stafford, VA to Washington, DC. If I had not inspected the vehicle myself and waited until the first appointment for the first oil change, this would have without a doubt, caused a serious accident in [XXX] , which is the route i mostly travel, a large amount of property damage, likely injury or possible death, due to the absolute fact that I would have lost all brake fluid and have had no brakes at all. There were no warning lamps illuminated at all. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- NHTSA ID
- 11739523
- Incident
- Apr 2, 2026