[blake bennett]

So after months and months of wanting, and drooling, my wife and I were finally able to purchase a new limited 4x4, loaded(lux pack, off road adventure, nav, towing, etc). Well we bought it Wednesday night got out of the dealership just before midnight. By noon my wife was back at the dealership after a short drive around town led to smoke coming out of the engine compartment and a horrible burning smell, after an hour or so in the service dept. they let her know they had looked over everything and there was no problem whatsoever. The excuse for what happened, was some plastic,sticker or label was left in the engine from manufacturing and had heated up and melted off. Nothing to worry about. Sounded reasonable to me. My wife raised the legitimate concern that we had a 300 mile drive home from the dealership to b.f.e where we live and that she was worried about something else happening. Once again we were assured that the whole car had been checked over and everything was good no problems. Fine.
Flash forward to Friday afternoon(a whopping 36 hours after leaving the dealership happy owners of a new car) almost home, climbing a long highway grade the coolant temperature failure message comes on followed immediately by oil temperature failure and then immediate loss of all power. pull over to the side of the road. Right away, lights go off, and normal engine operation resumes. My wife seeing all warning lights went off figured everything was fine the last four miles home would be no problem. The car made it, however after pulling in the driveway and turning it off the fan was running so hard it sounded like it was going to explode, opening the hood, coolant res. was empty and fluid was sprayed all over the engine, the car then refused to start back up. Needless to say, my wife was devastated( I was at work when she called crying hysterically). After contacting the dealership and receiving ZERO help other than saying we needed to bring the car back to them so they could check it out. And after explaining to them the car not being drivable, and the distance to them, they said "well figure it out, we cant do anything from here if the car is there". we called roadside assistance, they were happy to send us a tow truck(the next day)to take it to the nearest dealership( 140 miles away in a different state). So after this we are Obviously a little turned off to this vehicle and are quite skeptical of jeep(Chryslers) ability to fix this vehicle to the point where we wont have any more problems with it. Hopefully we are able to return it and trade for a non defective vehicle.
I was wondering if anyone at all on here has experienced awful service/performance from their JGC diesels or dealerships. I'm hoping that this is an isolated incident and they will make it right and make us happy customers. Honestly though, I am doubtful. We love everything about these cars, other than ours. It really is too bad. Especially after lots of horrible issues buying used cars in the past, which is why we took the plunge and bought new, to make sure we had a perfect vehicle/no issues.

 

[AOR]

Sorry to read about your experience. I have been working on Jeeps for over 20 years and have friends who work for Jeep dealerships. 90% of the dealer technicians around here in the DC metro area should not be working on vehicles. I would say your particular issue is not a common problem but it was missed with both the PDI Pre Delivery Inspection as well as when your brought it back the first time to be looked at. When we purchased ours with only 3 miles on it when I got it home I opened the hood and discovered the coolant was low in the bottle as well as an AC cap on the lines was missing. The power steering fluid was also low. I ordered the correct parts and fluids from my local dealer and sent the selling dealer the receipts and they reimbursed me. These simple things were missed during the PDI. I spoke to a friend of mine who is a master Chrysler tech who said with the dealer tech mentality it's to much trouble to wait for the parts dept. to get the correct stuff to make it right before leaving since they get paid flat rate. Anyhow on your particular issue it sounds to me like the engine had a coolant leak and may have overheated causing the the vehicle to go into limp mode to protect itself. Since it did not start back up it's possible that the engine is damaged. I am curious to read an update on your issues. You can bring it to any Chrysler dealership for warranty work, I am not sure how they would handle it but if I just purchased a new vehicle and it overheated and damaged the engine I would not want to keep that vehicle. The chances of any of the tech's having any internal experience with the 3.0 or remove/replace of the engine assembly would be slim to none. I would see if they will provide you with another new vehicle. Chrysler will typically try to fix this at a minimal cost to them. Let us know how they handle it.

 

[Brewster]

Yes- NOTHING WORSE THAN AN INCOMPETENT DEALER! Best to 'ask around' about a dealers reputation. My dealer has been in business for 50 years-(family owned). I will judge them on how they do my first oil change*- (*if they follow recommended procedure). At any rate- I'd let Chrysler know about your experience!

 

[JEEPED]

Sorry to read about your experience. I have been working on Jeeps for over 20 years and have friends who work for Jeep dealerships. 90% of the dealer technicians around here in the DC metro area should not be working on vehicles. I would say your particular issue is not a common problem but it was missed with both the PDI Pre Delivery Inspection as well as when your brought it back the first time to be looked at. When we purchased ours with only 3 miles on it when I got it home I opened the hood and discovered the coolant was low in the bottle as well as an AC cap on the lines was missing. The power steering fluid was also low. I ordered the correct parts and fluids from my local dealer and sent the selling dealer the receipts and they reimbursed me. These simple things were missed during the PDI. I spoke to a friend of mine who is a master Chrysler tech who said with the dealer tech mentality it's to much trouble to wait for the parts dept. to get the correct stuff to make it right before leaving since they get paid flat rate. Anyhow on your particular issue it sounds to me like the engine had a coolant leak and may have overheated causing the the vehicle to go into limp mode to protect itself. Since it did not start back up it's possible that the engine is damaged. I am curious to read an update on your issues. You can bring it to any Chrysler dealership for warranty work, I am not sure how they would handle it but if I just purchased a new vehicle and it overheated and damaged the engine I would not want to keep that vehicle. The chances of any of the tech's having any internal experience with the 3.0 or remove/replace of the engine assembly would be slim to none. I would see if they will provide you with another new vehicle. Chrysler will typically try to fix this at a minimal cost to them. Let us know how they handle it.

 

[JEEPED]

Mine has been a boon for the mechanics. My 2000 Yukon XL with 158k miles is more reliable and spends less time in the shop. What a nightmare

 

[JEEPED]

Mine has been a boon for the mechanics. My 2000 Yukon XL with 158k miles is more reliable and spends less time in the shop. What a nightmare

 

[JEEPED]

Used to be a Jeep owner then switched to GM. Recently came back after all the hype about quality improvements. Frankly I'm afraid to drive it anywhere as it has broken down so many times or warned of pending "Shut down in x Miles". WTF
My company has a fleet of 60 trucks,SUV's etc. NEVER again JEEP

 

[Skitime]

Similar issue in terms of compliant service and finding anyone who cares. At around 3000 miles and 3 months of owning my 2014 Summit EcoDiesel the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) aka Check Engine Light came on and the transmission locked up. Made an appointment with service right away. Happens again 4 more times before the actual appointment (1 week). Service tells me they see all kinds of errors from systems computer and one for transmission trying to be moved to Park from Drive while moving, something I asked if was even possible. They determined it to need software updates (the solution for every problem it seems) and a new transmission valve pump housing, and it would be 2+ weeks for parts to come in. so part comes in and we make an appointment! it stays there for over 7 days in the shop, I get many different updates from service (every time I call to get updates since they never called me once for the first 3 days), the status info I get ranges from whole transmission will need to be replaced, new valve box was defective too, might be a bad computer training, we'll need the car for at least 3 more weeks to get a new transmission... This was on a Friday, I went semi ballistic and called Chrysler warranty. A case was opened and the dealership contacted to hear first hand what was going on. Suddenly 7:45AM Monday I get a call telling me the car is ready to be picked up, come get it, it just needed us to teach it more on more level roads, now it shifts great, better than before they told me... WRONG, I get it back and gears shift horribly and if anything it seemed to be "unlearning" how I drive. Needless to say Wed I was back at another dealerships service dept, because of terrible fumes in the cabin now, horrid shifting and the MIL light coming back on with locked transmission (had to turn on and off 3 times to get it to shift). Surprise, surprise, there was a new software update just released that day! So for the record that's 3 software updates for the transmission that I know of first hand. needless to say the car is still running badly, like someone learning how to drive stick, smells like others have complained about and now regen has come on 2 x's in the past 40 miles which I'd never seen prior to all this happening (I drive on the freeway regularly usually takes care of cleaning filters), typically exhaust regen is no less than 1000miles the way I understand it. Car is a complete lemon and Chrysler Corp seems to be trying every delay tactic possible to talk replacement with me. Moral here, never buying a Jeep/Chrysler product again and likely trading in ASAP for a more reputable brand. Sad thing is I LOVED this GC up until the major component issues... any tips from others in the same situation, please pass along advice, thanks! (PS, I also see this section of the underbelly shield to be missing a bolt and misaligned, this was after the first service, it's located right under the engine rear, I'm attaching some pics. I was told by the second dealership nothings missing and it looks fine. So please if anyone out there has a GC Summit can you share any pics so I know if I'm being jerked around or if sloppy work and inspections are being passed along to me. The GC also came back with a ding/dent in the hood right next to the "J" of the Jeep logo and a small scratch right above gas access door, which I'm guessing happened when they filled up the tank while they were training the transmission for 100+ miles.)

 

[2014NwGC]

I am a frustrated Jeep customer too. 2014, towed within 90 minutes of ownership. Again 2 days later. Back to shop for many visits, various recalls, axle / CV boot problems, check engine lights, you name it, it has visited the shop for. My dealer's service department is great, but Chrysler / Jeep is terrible. They have put me off about a replacement, yes, it qualifies as a lemon under state law. No return calls from Chrysler, now they are stone walling after I had a lawyer send them a letter. I guess the way to get their attention is to file a lawsuit - then they must answer within 30 days. The good news? My state has a $50k penalty if a judge feels they have acted unreasonably with me - I am pursing that as well. I am also off to the DMV to get a "lemon" personal plate, or some play off of lemon.

 

[Skitime]

I am a frustrated Jeep customer too. 2014, towed within 90 minutes of ownership. Again 2 days later. Back to shop for many visits, various recalls, axle / CV boot problems, check engine lights, you name it, it has visited the shop for. My dealer's service department is great, but Chrysler / Jeep is terrible. They have put me off about a replacement, yes, it qualifies as a lemon under state law. No return calls from Chrysler, now they are stone walling after I had a lawyer send them a letter. I guess the way to get their attention is to file a lawsuit - then they must answer within 30 days. The good news? My state has a $50k penalty if a judge feels they have acted unreasonably with me - I am pursing that as well. I am also off to the DMV to get a "lemon" personal plate, or some play off of lemon.

Love the "Lemon" lic. plate idea! Maybe we should all number ourselves, second thought we'd likely run out of space for that high a number.

In other news, who doesn't want a Water Feature in there JGC?! http://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2014/jeep-sunroof-leak-lawsuit-drain-tubes.shtml

... Oops, I should also mention we just got our Summit Diesel back after a week in the shop for a cracked gas line which apparently was the reason we've been smelling fumes for the life of the vehicle up until the fix. That would explain the stinging watery eyes and getting dizzy on long trips. *sigh*

 

[2014NwGC]

Mine got better - now I have had the check engine light on 3 times - and it needs a new catalyst, which is on back order. Another bad part. Seems JEEP didn't engineer this thing - they just threw it together with spit and bailing wire. Funny, I am looking at a letter from Jeep legal today.

 

[Skitime]

Mine got better - now I have had the check engine light on 3 times - and it needs a new catalyst, which is on back order. Another bad part. Seems JEEP didn't engineer this thing - they just threw it together with spit and bailing wire. Funny, I am looking at a letter from Jeep legal today.

Yeah, I would agree and it sounds like the executives agree too. I hadn't realized that the Chrysler/Fiat Quality Chief was let go after they were blessed by Consumer Reports with the bottom 4 brand models for reliability - good news is at least the JGC wasn't the Lemon but the Cherokee: http://www.autonews.com/article/20141028/OEM02/141029851/betts-leaves-chrysler-after-another-poor-quality-showing
Hopefully this will lead to better quality and a brighter future for the brand(s). Sadly it sure doesn't help me sleep better.

 

[RockCrawler]

Sorry to hear about your Jeep issues, but I just had to counter, that our new 2014 Grand Cherokee Limited Eco Diesel has been/is an absolutely outstanding vehicle. I do know that this does not help your situation.
Our fully loaded Limited just passed the 12,600 mile mark with no issues to speak. We did have the "check engine" light come on once that required a dealer visit. The code showed an "oil viscosity" issue. It seems they recommend changing the oil at 10K. Ours needed it at 8K. Anyway, while changing my oil to correct this issue, two more software updates were installed.
In my mind, those types of adjustments to the computer modules, etc. is expected. The engineers are fine tuning the systems to improve things for the most part, and yes, also correcting or addressing serious issues as well.
I am watching the forums for major issues and complaints, so I hopefully can be proactive in getting the needed repairs done as soon as possible, before they cause major time delays.
The SCR catalytic converter seems to be an issue (as mentioned in this forum), but it looks like FCA already has a fix and no cost warranty replacement solution out there. Too be continued . . .
Anyway, ours rides like a dream, has all of the bells and whistles and luxury features that we like, is consistently getting 28 - 30 mpg on our long highway trips, and we would definitely recommend this vehicle to friends and family.
I do hope that FCA corrects your problems and satisfies your concerns, or replaces your vehicles as required.
Again, sorry to hear you are having issues.
.

 

[KevinW]

I just picked up a 2015 Summit Ecodiesel last week. Build date was January 17. I have just been browsing the forums and am seeing a horror show. Both my wife and I really love this Jeep but I guess I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I just passed 1,000kms (600 miles). No suprises so far. I'm seeing that in order to cover my backside I must use Mopar DEF for starters. I'm hoping that the catalyst problems have been corrected for 2015 models. I keep vehicles a long time, 10 plus years.
Wish me luck! It's kinda a bummer that the uconnect app is not available in Canada though.