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My 2020 Jeep Rubicon “JLUR” could have killed me and my family this weekend.

SSWIM

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Well just my 02 here. It ain't worth much. Electrical anomalies like these sometimes can NOT be duplicated and that is the extremely frustrating issue. I own several repair facilities which do automotive electrical diagnosis and repair. Have been around over 60 years. We have had instances that an electrical issue can not be duplicated, it will not replicate itself. The new OBD systems absolutely help diagnos many issues, but not always. Data logging, real time data etc. is a very helpful tool. Sadly it is NOT a cure all. The culprit when these "ghosts" occur more times than not must replicate themselves and fail in order to truly find point of failure. Too many believe you just plug your scanner in and presto, fixed. Be great if it was that easy. If someone finds that "magic scanner" please let me know.

With all that said, I feel for the techs who have to try and diag these issues. It is trying at best. I feel for the owner\customers that have the problem. It is very frustrating pondering when your vehicle is going to fail again. Doesn't instill much confidence when in the back of your mind you are wondering when or if it is going fail again. We have had cases when the issue never again manifests itself. Other times it fails and repairs are made. Other times it is so isolated the customers lives with it. Not very comforting for sure.

Good luck on your quest for closure. Hopefully they get it to replicate itself so failure can be repaired.

Sam
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Craigzjeep

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In fairness each NASA vehicle was scrapped and useless after a single trip.
And they spent most of their trip coasting without their engine running either :)

Sorry, couldn't resist... LOL
And they landed in the Ocean
 

ZenWorld

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Had something similar happened to us on a way back from a Hiking Trip that I posted on this forum about. I hope your Jeep get's resolved. It can be infuriating to spend so much money on a Jeep and have it put your family at risk. I'm surprised you haven't demanded they buy the car back from you or at least give you a new one. Seems like a Lemon at this point.

Mines had similar fixes to yours Volts/Fuses were not secured/tightened. After they did that my Jeep has had 10000 miles so far of problem free driving.

All the best!
 

Harvs

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Hi All, my 2020 rubicon 2.2 diesel suffered a similar fate today. Total shutdown of all electrical components. Every possible warning light came on, no movement in drive, even the wipers came on slowly WTF. And stuck for 2 hours on a busy intersection. checked fuses & relays and most were not seated properly. After reseat still nothing and the Jeep basically electrically dead with the speedo needle jumping every few seconds and random flashes of the hazard lights.
Tow trucked back to Jeep today Saturday and will be looked at Monday. Only done 2100 km so far. Also not long after buying the Jeep I noticed that the battery terminals were never tighten (quite loose) is this bad dealer delivery........
 

Harvs

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Update re my dead Jeep. dealer has had it for 3 days now the issue is it keeps flattening the stop start battery So there is a short somewhere. The night before the problems stated I smelt an electrical burning smell at the top left firewall where the batteries are (right hand drive Jeep) which I told the mechanic about. At this stage they still can’t find the issue. Anyone had similar issue?
 

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JimSa

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Update re my dead Jeep. dealer has had it for 3 days now the issue is it keeps flattening the stop start battery So there is a short somewhere. The night before the problems stated I smelt an electrical burning smell at the top left firewall where the batteries are (right hand drive Jeep) which I told the mechanic about. At this stage they still can’t find the issue. Anyone had similar issue?
Harvs, sorry you are having to go through this. It's very frustrating and the I believe the simple truth is that most dealerships (at least here in the US) don't really know how to diagnose and troubleshoot electrical issues. I don't know why they can't diagnose a simple short or a parasitic draw, as there are even YouTube videos on how do this... They should at least be able to narrow it to a single circuit or function, as many things can be diagnosed with just a multimeter.

Most of us here in the forums, including myself, will only have guesses. If you haven't already, contact JeepCares to start a case. They will help stay on top of the dealership(s) and possibly give you some options. As for guesses, If you smelled burning near the firewall, I'd guess that a loose connection caused something to fry in the PDC, either a relay or one of the power rail fuses (N#). You aren't going to smell a regular old fuse. My next guess would be that the short traveled all the way back up and burned star controller at the CAN-BUS, which is behind the glove. That would have to be a pretty high amp short though to do that. Again, those are just WILD guesses that come from the fact you were able to smell it.

Best of luck!
 

JeepCares

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Update re my dead Jeep. dealer has had it for 3 days now the issue is it keeps flattening the stop start battery So there is a short somewhere. The night before the problems stated I smelt an electrical burning smell at the top left firewall where the batteries are (right hand drive Jeep) which I told the mechanic about. At this stage they still can’t find the issue. Anyone had similar issue?
We are sincerely sorry to learn of this experience. If you would like support while in service, please send our team a private message.

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Fsttanks

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UPDATE 12/23
Jeep is still at the 2nd dealership going on two+ weeks. I have retained a lawyer to assist me with my issues and on his advice I will not be posting further information related to what is going on with my Jeep until all is settled. Also I have removed the failure video from my Instagram.
 

Harvs

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Harvs, sorry you are having to go through this. It's very frustrating and the I believe the simple truth is that most dealerships (at least here in the US) don't really know how to diagnose and troubleshoot electrical issues. I don't know why they can't diagnose a simple short or a parasitic draw, as there are even YouTube videos on how do this... They should at least be able to narrow it to a single circuit or function, as many things can be diagnosed with just a multimeter.

Most of us here in the forums, including myself, will only have guesses. If you haven't already, contact JeepCares to start a case. They will help stay on top of the dealership(s) and possibly give you some options. As for guesses, If you smelled burning near the firewall, I'd guess that a loose connection caused something to fry in the PDC, either a relay or one of the power rail fuses (N#). You aren't going to smell a regular old fuse. My next guess would be that the short traveled all the way back up and burned star controller at the CAN-BUS, which is behind the glove. That would have to be a pretty high amp short though to do that. Again, those are just WILD guesses that come from the fact you were able to smell it.

Best of luck!
Thanks Jimsa, showed your diagnosis only to the head mechanic at the dealership and was noted.
Interesting to note that he said the the light in my ARB twin compressor switch was draining the batteries over night. one I. calling this BS and 2 it is hooked up to the rubicon’s aux switch loom to the ignition wire that has no power to it when the ignition is off. To me it seems very possible that the ignition is staying on and draining the batteries and thats why the ARB led switch light is staying illuminated. Anyway my wait continues as Xmas now.....
 

JeepDrvr2018

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All - After reading here, and the Gladiator Forum, I have decided to keep my 2013 for a while yet. This year has been one for the record books, and although almost over I wont be a statistic for it. I will keep reading, but I am now not in market for new vehicle. If the RV sells, may change mind, but right now, nope. Thank you all for updates to this forum, and no other vehicle temps me, and I like my 2013 Jeep Unlimited Sahara, so aint Chevy or ford either. Jeep needs to get off backside and figure out this mess, and get it fixed, people could die. And then only lawyers win, no one else.
 

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JimSa

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Thanks Jimsa, showed your diagnosis only to the head mechanic at the dealership and was noted.
Interesting to note that he said the the light in my ARB twin compressor switch was draining the batteries over night. one I. calling this BS and 2 it is hooked up to the rubicon’s aux switch loom to the ignition wire that has no power to it when the ignition is off. To me it seems very possible that the ignition is staying on and draining the batteries and thats why the ARB led switch light is staying illuminated. Anyway my wait continues as Xmas now.....
As you mention, if your switch is hooked up to ACC/Run only power then that can't be cause, unless you have a relay stuck open in the PDC. If the switch was on, then you may be onto something. When my CAN-BUS was shorting, the vehicle would not turn off if running, and even if just in ACC/Run mode, that would not shut off either. I physically had to remove the ground terminals at the battery to shut it off. However, that was very evident in my case because the dash was fully lit and pushing the run button to off did nothing. If the switch is truly on, but there are no other visible dash lights, then it really sounds like a relay that is stuck/fried rather than a short (at least at this point).

[Edit:] I can't be certain, but it appears the accessory switches are known as "Upfitter Accessories" in the wiring diagrams. If so, it's on Relay Run/Accessory 1, and I believe that's K14 in the PDC. It appears there are only a few other things on this. (compass, inside rearview, media port, window switches). You might be able to check if those are also receiving power, to see if you have a stuck relay.
 
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Harvs

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As you mention, if your switch is hooked up to ACC/Run only power then that can't be cause, unless you have a relay stuck open in the PDC. If the switch was on, then you may be onto something. When my CAN-BUS was shorting, the vehicle would not turn off if running, and even if just in ACC/Run mode, that would not shut off either. I physically had to remove the ground terminals at the battery to shut it off. However, that was very evident in my case because the dash was fully lit and pushing the run button to off did nothing. If the switch is truly on, but there are no other visible dash lights, then it really sounds like a relay that is stuck/fried rather than a short (at least at this point).

[Edit:] I can't be certain, but it appears the accessory switches are known as "Upfitter Accessories" in the wiring diagrams. If so, it's on Relay Run/Accessory 1, and I believe that's K14 in the PDC. It appears there are only a few other things on this. (compass, inside rearview, media port, window switches). You might be able to check if those are also receiving power, to see if you have a stuck relay.
My Jeep has now been towed to another dealership as they claim they dont have any techs to trouble shoot electrical issues..hmmm (after having it for 8 days)
I would have thought that all dealerships would be required to have the right staff on hand to deal with any type of Jeep problem.
After hearing all the hype about how Jeep are improving their customer service when I bought my Wrangler I assume the company message has not understood here in Australia!
 

JeepDrvr2018

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Mustang

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Mine's going in on Monday. 2020 JLU Diesel. I followed it for the first time today. 3 times, I watched 1 brake light come on and the reverse light on the opposite side (no brake), when brakes were applied. Twice the drivers side brake lit, once, the problem switched sides. No idea how long it's been doing this.

Anyone else have this happen?

EDIT: This is what was done today: TSB# 18-109-20 - Flash Update to Driver Assistance Module with Enhancements.

Hopefully this fixed the problem.
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