2019 Jeep Cherokee - Overheated

2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee - overheated. Was told it was a cracked water pump so had it replaced by a dealer (under warranty). As I drove it off their lot, start didn’t work properly, dragged as I tried to accelerate. Took back to the dealer and was told its a blown head gasket. But “part is hard to come by”. Car has been at the dealer for over two weeks already.

Sorry you are having to deal with this, I would ask for a loaner vehicle…

I know of a Lady that had her Hyundai at the dealer for a warranty engine for 10 months last I checked, the dealer had gotten the engine in 6 months ago, waiting on the tech to get to it…

But yeah, back ordered parts can take a while to get, might not be the dealers fault, or they could just be short handed or just plain don’t care… I would not get hateful with them, but you can bet I would be calling them at least weekly asking for an update… Might also call a few other dealers to see if they have the part you need, don’t tell them why you are calling, just the vehicle issue and if they have the part or not and how long to get t in… Remember a lot of dealers, especially doing warranty work will/can not use aftermarket parts like from Napa or AZ etc…

The cracked water pump suggests a severe overheating incident. Did that occur? If so, make sure whatever caused it is being fixed along w/the head gasket. Otherwise you’ll be right back at square one. As part of the head gasket job, might be a good idea to have one piston removed and checked that it retains the correct dimensions. If the pistons are warped, the engine will never run correctly, new head gasket or not. In that case a replacement engine might be your best option. Bad news, but better to know now than latter.

No uncommon in the pandemic era. I expect your best option is to be patient & wait for the part to arrive. Seems unlikely back-shipment on head gaskets would be longer than a couple of months. Did you ask if they’d provide a loaner in the meantime? Also, check w/your insurance company, maybe your policy provides a loaner. OP isn’t the only one w/this problem, even the Magliozzi family.