2018 JLUR significant electrical issues

[Heimkehr]

According to this forum the easiest way to replace the aux batter is to remove the vattery side front fender!!!???

Passenger side fender liner.

Alternately, and with due care, the fuse box (aka Power Distribution Center).

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[Chance_P]

The wiring harness inside of the dash is a possibility. Ask me how I know.

 

[stumblinhorse]

Thanks. The next nice weather day I'm going to climb over and under the Jeep, chasing the wiring bundles, and will double check the fuses inspite of their assurances. I'll think about replacing the batteries too.
The CAN BUS connectors you mention; are they inside the vehicle? or on the firewall in the engine compartment behind the glovebox?

Replace the battery. Funny story. A buddy had the same symptoms that you have he also went to the dealer and got the same story. I told him “Replace the battery and if you have the same problem again in the next 6 months I will pay for the battery.“ Over a year ago…

 

[James in FFX STN VA]

I too have a love-hate relationship with my Jeep.

I love how my Jeep drives, particularly in bad weather and on the trails. I hate my Jeep dealer. Never met a bigger bunch of incompetent assholes.

In my case, it is easy to justify keeping the Jeep because I got an awesome deal on it, it only has 16,500 miles, and once I replaced the batteries I haven’t had any more problems. Not even paint bubbling issues.

You first need to decide if you are committed to owning a Jeep Wrangler. Once you decide you cannot live without a Wrangler in your garage, it becomes easier to do whatever it takes to solve the niggling issues. If you decide you are ready to move on, then there’s your answer.

If I were to move on from my JL, I doubt I’d even consider another Jeep. It just isn’t worth to me putting up with the terrible dealer experience to be driving a run-of-the-mill vehicle.

Good luck.

Moving on from this Jeep doesn't necessarily mean not getting another Wrangler. My 12, almost 13 year old daughter has been looking forward to this Jeep when she gets her drivers license. I broached the idea of possibly getting rid of the Jeep and getting a new one and she is adamantly opposed to the idea unless I can get a new Mojito green one...which of course is impossible. I love the fact that she loves this Jeep more than the idea of a new one.

With that said, if I can't trust this Jeep at 4.5 years old, then I'm not going to trust it more when its 8 or 9 years old and my 16 year old daughter is asking to drive it. :/

 

[James in FFX STN VA]

Replace the battery. Funny story. A buddy had the same symptoms that you have he also went to the dealer and got the same story. I told him “Replace the battery and if you have the same problem again in the next 6 months I will pay for the battery.“ Over a year ago…

That's great feedback. ...and you're a really good friend to make that offer

 

[Spank]

That was the dealership's first guess so they tested the batteries and said it is definitively not a battery issue.

My guess is that it is a grounding issue with a wire bundle. They spent hours checking fuses and chasing wires but haven't found a culprit.

If we ever find the issue, I'm guessing it is a cut or abrasion in a wire bundle...

If the batteries haven't been replaced, it's totally the batteries.

 

[James in FFX STN VA]

The wiring harness inside of the dash is a possibility. Ask me how I know.

Haha, do tell, please!

 

[maynyrd150]

is the sway bar actuator a possibility? those things are terribly cheesy and get water inside. maybe something inside corroded and its fritzing the canbus

 

[jrice454]

I have a 2018 Jeep Wrangler, built July 2018, which started having electrical issues this past November (2022) and have gotten worse effectively limiting the use of my Jeep to near home, low risk trips (groceries, commute, but not airport).

The Jeep periodically (1 out of 5 trips) has what I can only describe as an electrical storm where all the dashboard warning indicators illuminate, power steering (sometimes) shut downs, "Service ABS" indicates failure, "Service Electronic Stability Control", "Stop/Start Unavailable Service Stop/Start System", "Sway Bar Disconnect Unavailable" indicates failure, "SERV 4WD", parking break light comes on (brake off), check engine light illuminates, airbag indicator light illuminates, , seat belt indicator (while wearing), AutoPark disables, ParkSense "Off", Blind Spot Alert "Unavaible", "Service Shifter", etc. Sometimes the engine fans spin up as if the vehicle is overheating.

This morning on my commute I had this occur and pulled off to the last parking lot before the interstate, as I did not want to drive on the highway without power steering. Once parked the first restart resulted in all the alerts presenting again, not sure about power steering as I was parked. Second restart had alerts and would not allow me to shift the Jeep out of "Park". I let it sit for a while and then restarted the Jeep with some alerts but with the ability to shift our of 'park' into 'reverse' and the power steering was working; thinking I should take advantage of what I had working I proceeded to work. The first time this happened I sat in a turn lane for 30 mins trying to get the Jeep running and out of "Park"

The jeep has spent 3 work weeks at the dealership with no success in resolving the issue. I am still under the 60K power train warranty but I was told that does not cover these issues, even though the alerts indicate multiple drive train issues "Service Shifter" and prevent the car from being reasonably driven, so I have paid hundreds of dollars out of pocket with no fix.

The Jeep is 4 years old, still under power train warranty, but is basically untrustworthy and therefore substantially unusable.
I'm the only one who rides around in it. My wife and daughters don't trust it. I can't drive my kids and other kids to sporting and recreational events.

The dealership has no ideas, they say they can see log events of what has happened but have no diagnostic error codes to indicate cause.

I am basically stuck with a $50,000 vehicle that no one knows how to fix, and I can't in good conscience sell. I've thought about trading it in but the next dealership will just pass it along to some unknowing buyer.

Anyone have any good ideas?

Sounds like a ground issue. My new JEEP had this issue. Batteries checked out ok and the tech spent a few days checking different locations known for wire bundle grounding. They used a Pico Scope to check my circuits and found that when certain wires were moved the resistance changed significantly to the canbus wire running behind my glove box. Got the wires changed out and then found a ground issue with the start relay where it connected to the frame.

Bottom line find someone with the experience to diagnose your gremlin issue, 3 weeks is too long and they should have reached out to the regional engineer at this point. Hope you get this resolved.

 

[fat_head]

So... a couple things. First, it's an electrical issue so powertrain warranty won't cover it. Second, trade it in without losing sleep if you want to. What the dealer does with the broken Jeep is not your concern nor responsibility. Third, they likely won't be able to fix it until its broken and stays broken. Intermittent electrical problems are nearly impossible to find.

Good luck! Sucks, I know.

 

[Chief_Dan]

Trust me, lots of good info here, but some iffy info as well. First, NEVER EVER trust the dealership, as in NEVER EVER. If they are your best friend or relative, I'm sorry but I still wouldn't trust them. Verify everything yourself, as mentioned, make sure all the fuses are pushed down good. Remove the batteries & have them load tested at an AutoZone or similar place. They will be more accurate than any dealership I know. I would bet that 1 or both are bad & that may very well fix your issues.

Lastly, it is NOT impossible to find an electrical issue. Just someone who knows what they are doing. I have pretty much completely rewired my MR2 I used to have. So, I could easily diagnose electrical issues rather quickly & most are pretty easy to fix. It is hard, repetitive, cumbersome, slow going, tedious, & maddening, ABSOLUTELY. But, just a little time learning & taking the time to follow the wires & test the connections & it really is easy, once you know your vehicle & where things are going. So, tedious, yes, impossible, no!

If it isn't the batteries, your next best bet is to trace the wiring harnesses underneath & check the connections.

Only a good reputable tech that does this regularly will want even tackle it, as most shops can make more money doing easy mechanical repairs, than tracking down wires & grounds. So, knowing how to do this is imperative on the JL. Take the time to learn & go down that journey with your daughter. Then you both will know the Jeep inside & out & have some quality time together teaching her a skill that can safe her time & money. My daughters will tell you that are glad they know this stuff & cherish the time we spent together.

Electronics can be tough to find, but are typically easy to fix. Your dealership is stringing you along & I think they are trying to wait until your warranty is completely gone & then tell you to kiss off or then be able to charge you ridiculous fees to fix something. Like $150 to replace the battery, shoot my local AutoZone folks will help you right in their parking lot, no charge.

If you lived near me, I would be glad to help. Good luck!

 

[Tgs]

Does your start stop work? If not check your voltage on the voltage page. If you drive it for 20-30 min and it continues to stay over 14volts your battery's need replaced.

 

[Lgkaos]

This same EXACT electrical shit-show happened to me in my 2020 JLUR a few months ago.

Long-story-short: in MY situation, it was the "main Z Case Fuse".

Long-story: prior to that full on shit-show, it started off w/my ESS auto stop/start function that ceased suddenly. That problem was the auxiliary battery and eventually the main battery crapped out as well. I replaced the main battery w/a bigger full-sized battery (94-R) from Autozone. I also replaced the auxiliary battery w/a Autozone battery.

Hopefully this helps you diagnose/troubleshoot your JLs electrical issues.

 

[Spartan99]

It’s cool how so many folks on this forum are quick to try to help someone solve an issue.

Unless you have an angry grill. We all have our limits.

 

[gek]

Thanks for the feedback.

I dug out a 2018/2019 thread with a wire bundle abrasion issue behind the front bumper near the sway bar and asked the dealer to check that out; they say they looked through those wires and and that there are no similar abrasions.

Part of me agrees with you on replacing the batteries proactively but I'm also a bit concerned that I'm throwing good money after bad with this Jeep. When the dealer was testing the battery I asked about the replacement cost and IIRC they said $350 for the battery (singular) and $150 for installation. I think I will go to Costco if I go this route...

Regarding the Jeep, overall I love it, and I hate it at same time right now. I didn't mention that I also have the paint corrosion issue going on all four doors and the hood and have been fighting with the dealership on getting that repaired under warranty. After a multi-week personal campaign they have agreed to process the warranty claim and eventually do the repair.

They can't tell me when they will do the paint work but they have so far said it has to be complete before the warranty expires in 1800 miles so I may be in a situation where I have to park the vehicle to wait for the paint shop to complete the repair so I don't eclipse my warranty coverage. The entire proposition that they could acknowledge the defect and admit that it is warrantable, but not execute the repair after 60,000 miles because of their delay is like something out of a Joesph Heller story. Absurd as it is though they appear to be the judge/jury/executioner unless I can find advocacy at the corporate level...

Love/hate, keep/trade, I don't know yet???

As long as your corrosion issue is documented before your warranty runs out they should still cover it as it was an issue while you were still under warranty. Whether it gets done before that should make no difference. It sounds to me like you should take a trip to a different dealer. (Not that they are guaranteed to be better.)

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