2020 Wrangler JL power steering/electrical issues

[rollerbladekarin]

Was driving it and all of a sudden the rpm's went from 2-5 back and forth and then started puttering and wouldn't go faster as I was pushing the gas pedal down. Then to top it off the power steering went out as well and the check engine light as well as the message on my dash that says service shifter. This has never happened to me before. It only has 15,500 miles on it and is not driven during the winter months and has never been off roading.
Any suggestions as to what it could be

Sponsored

 

[aldo98229]

Welcome to the forum.

The steering assist on these Jeeps is electric. My guess is your loss of power steering is the result of the loss of electric power.

There are three things you can do:

1. Check that all your fuses are seated down properly and your terminals are tight
2. Replace both batteries yourself. Don’t wait the dealer to do; they just won’t
3. Check the CANBUS connectors behind the glove compartment

Ninety-nine percent probability that one of these three will fix your electrical issues. The latter is known to affect the shifter.

Good luck.

 

[Turaven]

Welcome to the forum.

The steering assist on these Jeeps is electric. My guess is your loss of power steering is the result of the loss of electric power.

There are three things you can do:

1. Check that all your fuses are seated down properly and your terminals are tight
2. Replace both batteries yourself. Don’t wait the dealer to do; they just won’t
3. Check the CANBUS connectors behind the glove compartment

Ninety-nine percent probability that one of these three will fix your electrical issues. The latter is known to affect the shifter.

Good luck.

I 100% second the first two points. Your Jeep is old enough to have one or two dying batteries (REPLACE BOTH. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON ONE) that can cause a smörgåsbord of wacky electrical problems. Many Jeeps are reported to have shipped with loosely fitted fuses that can cause trouble, takes a minute to check that they're all properly seated.

 

[Whaler27]

Was driving it and all of a sudden the rpm's went from 2-5 back and forth and then started puttering and wouldn't go faster as I was pushing the gas pedal down. Then to top it off the power steering went out as well and the check engine light as well as the message on my dash that says service shifter. This has never happened to me before. It only has 15,500 miles on it and is not driven during the winter months and has never been off roading.
Any suggestions as to what it could be

Aldo is right.

Spontaneous, strange, groups of seemingly unrelated system failures like this are part of the joy of owning a jeep that’s more complex and computer-dependent than the space shuttle. Low battery power will cause your jeep to completely lose its mind.

 

[Jtcal78]

I have replaced both batteries, canbuss blocks. Gone through the fuses several times. Check for shorts and broken wires. But now it's only power steering codes popping up. Ordered a vacuum pump and altinator. Doing the expensive part now. So if and when it goes to the DLR they can't just throw parts at it.

 

[speedymart]

I'm kind of tired people suggesting fuse thing. In my 8 years at a dealer I've never experienced a single JL with an issue that resulted from a fuse fitted to where it wasn't making proper contact with the terminals. Yeah they all have a bit of push available if you try to fully seat them, but they aren't causing issues.

Anyway, if it's still under basic take it to the dealer. This sounds like some intermittent can-c failure or something like those lines. Could be caused by loose terminals, but if you've never had the problem before that's kind of suspect.

 

[Jtcal78]

I'm kind of tired people suggesting fuse thing. In my 8 years at a dealer I've never experienced a single JL with an issue that resulted from a fuse fitted to where it wasn't making proper contact with the terminals. Yeah they all have a bit of push available if you try to fully seat them, but they aren't causing issues.

Anyway, if it's still under basic take it to the dealer. This sounds like some intermittent can-c failure or something like those lines. Could be caused by loose terminals, but if you've never had the problem before that's kind of suspect.

Don't be tired of it. It's the truth. When someone buys a 50grand vehicle it should have no problem for years and years. This jeep crap is going to bury Diamler. It baloney. Everything doesn't have to be electric. It doesn't need power assist steering and fancy auto start. It just needs to go. And now it's becoming a safety issue.

Sponsored