B9A recall is available!

[THAW]

I had my 2021 Sahara 4xE B9A recall done on Monday, (3/4) but for me, it just created way more issues than I think they fixed. There are lots of things here that aren’t adding up, so wanted to see what others thought. I am a computer geek - not a mechanic - but these things are so ‘close’ to being a computer these days that I try and stay on top of what’s going on. That and I really don’t want my Jeep to go boom.

First - There seems to be come comments to charge the thing to 90% before taking it to the dealership. I talked to several people about this - I really don’t think this is a good idea. According to the procedure, the charging at the dealership is required to get the battery to a temperature they are expecting to start the testing. Second - if you pick up your jeep, and the battery isn’t charged, it’s most likely (imho) that they didn’t do the steps of the recall at all. Third - the testing takes at a minimum 8.5 hours of time to do - so if you get your Jeep back in less than that amount of time, something was skipped. Let me go through my thinking. (When I picked up my Jeep, the battery was completely dead which is what set me off trying to understand what’s what.)

The procedure requires the dealership to do the entire procedure outdoors. Not just for safety reasons, but because they want the vehicle to be at outdoor temps. (From my understanding.). This would take a minimum of 2 hours using a level 2 charger to get to 90% before they can start - and using a level 2 charger is another requirement of the B9A recall procedure. After that they flash. Then, while the Jeep is still plugged into a level 2 charger, they let it sit for three hours. All this time the Jeep can’t be touched. This includes opening doors. Apparently when you open a door the Jeep kinda ‘wakes up’. They want the thing ’sleeping’ for a solid 3 hours. Then they test it again for codes. Then another three hours of ‘sleeping’ - all while being plugged into the level 2 charger. After the second three hour period they test for codes again. All clear? Then you are good. But - this would also mean the battery is 100% charged - so when you pick up the thing it should be well above the 90% range unless they took it for a drive or something. Also - if you have the Jeep App you should see status for the charging. The entire process - two hours to get to 90%, two three hour testing/sleeping cycles, plus flashing and pulling codes - that’s at a minimum of 8.5 hours. Getting an oil change too? (I did - along with tire rotation and new wiper-blades) - that would add time to your service.

The importance of getting this particular recall right - given the ramifications of what it’s trying to fix, to me is paramount. The chances are I believe easy to see very very small that you might have an effected unit, but unless the procedure to test is done right, you ‘really’ won’t know, again in my humble opinion.

The cat is out of the bag as far as the dealer procedure for this thing - and I think it’s important for everyone to be somewhat diligent that they are in fact, getting their Jeep 4xE’s tested correctly.

My dealership, when asked the questions I was asking above, did agree to re-do the test. I have not scheduled a time yet to take my Jeep back in.

At the first attempt, I received my car back after only 8 hours of being at their shop - but I had the B9A recall (allegedly), the Defrost recall, oil change, multi-point inspection, tire rotation, and wiper blades. To me, I just don’t see how they completed the B9A recall given what the now public Dealer instructions state to do. Also, my battery was at zero percent charged when I picked it up.

I am wondering if anyone out there can please post the full instructions of the B9A procedure if they can get them - I believe that only one page in this thread has been posted. This would allow everyone to better know they have been properly serviced by their dealer.

I greatly appreciate being added to this forum and look forward to better days talking about the fun things that the Jeep (and the 4xE’s) can do.

A lot of good information/advice.

But the outdoor ambient temperature detail doesn't make sense to me. How would that affect the procedure and wouldn't it vary too much by region and date?

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[tcncsu]

Dropped my 4xe for the 2 recalls this morning at 9:40 am battery at 8% and they called me at 1pm it was ready for pickup. This is Chapman jeep in Scottsdale AZ.

I hate to say this, but it doesn't sound like they actually completed all of the steps required for the B9A recall...

 

[Ron93YJ]

I hate to say this, but it doesn't sound like they actually completed all of the steps required for the B9A recall...

This doesn’t sound like enough time to do the B9A. Especially when you factor in that they also say they fixed the defroster recall in that same window.

 

[4xeRubiAZ]

I hate to say this, but it doesn't sound like they actually completed all of the steps required for the B9A recall...

Picked it up, battery was not charged, I asked the rep about the procedure having to charge and the 3 hours etc.. he said they were doing that last week but techs now have an updated procedure where they disconnect the battery and perform the updates and then check battery integrity… so who knows… here’s a photo of the service notes.

 

[Gazelle]

Picked it up, battery was not charged, I asked the rep about the procedure ...

I picked up mine yesterday. They finished the two recalls, brake, tranny, & xfer case fluid changes in 5 hours time. I dropped it off with ~63%battery charge, never received any notification that charging had started, and picked it up with 45% charge. I had a long discussion with the Service Advisor who went to speak with the Technician. The Tech is certain he performed the process correctly, but they did not show me any updated procedure. We even discussed the details of pg 7 on the old procedure which requires 90% initial charge & two, 3 hour rest periods.

An updated procedure would explain the time difference I suppose.

Relevant section of receipt attached.

 

[DuVader]

Again - because I don’t want my Jeep to go boom, and because it’s obvious from reading TONs of posts that dealer’s don’t ‘always’ follow procedure - mostly to save time and earn more $$$, I have to think that getting full disclosure about ‘what’ the procedure is required to put all this to bed. Again - not thinking chances are high - but it ‘was’ high enough to cause the recall in the first place. Ensuring that the testing is done correctly and thoroughly is absolutely necessary in my opinion. I am going to call Stelantis again on this - they need to share the entire procedure with the public - again in my opinion.

If the procedure has changed - great - but - from my limited understanding about how the battery is tied into the Jeep, I am not 100% sure that ‘disconnecting’ the battery is something that can happen all that quickly in and of itself. Again, not sure here but normally these things take quite a bit of labor to disable. Also, from my understanding of how the Jeep operates - I am also not 100% sure that the electronics of the Jeep can operate if the EV battery is in fact disconnected. Will the 12volt battery run the computer and electronics required to ‘allow’ flashing? I just don’t know. Again, I just think full disclosure and talking to us like human beings is required here. Too many questions.

 

[alphawolff]

Again - because I don’t want my Jeep to go boom, and because it’s obvious from reading TONs of posts that dealer’s don’t ‘always’ follow procedure - mostly to save time and earn more $$$, I have to think that getting full disclosure about ‘what’ the procedure is required to put all this to bed. Again - not thinking chances are high - but it ‘was’ high enough to cause the recall in the first place. Ensuring that the testing is done correctly and thoroughly is absolutely necessary in my opinion. I am going to call Stelantis again on this - they need to share the entire procedure with the public - again in my opinion.

If the procedure has changed - great - but - from my limited understanding about how the battery is tied into the Jeep, I am not 100% sure that ‘disconnecting’ the battery is something that can happen all that quickly in and of itself. Again, not sure here but normally these things take quite a bit of labor to disable. Also, from my understanding of how the Jeep operates - I am also not 100% sure that the electronics of the Jeep can operate if the EV battery is in fact disconnected. Will the 12volt battery run the computer and electronics required to ‘allow’ flashing? I just don’t know. Again, I just think full disclosure and talking to us like human beings is required here. Too many questions.

The procedure has already been stated in this thread.

1. Flash the BPCM, AHCP, and HCP. Update PCM/TCM/IDCM if also available.
2. Make sure the battery is above 90% SoC, if not, charge it until it is
3. Perform a battery integrity test using wi-tech
4. Let vehicle sit for 3 hours plugged into the charger
5. Performed another battery integrity test using wi-tech
6. Let vehicle sit for another 3 hours plugged into the charger
7. Perform a final battery integrity test, if it passes return vehicle to customer. If it fails, replace HV battery.

If the vehicle is woken up such as the door opening, charger being disconnected, etc, then the 3 hour wait time part will need to be repeated. As simple as some random person walking up and putting their hand on the door handle, activating the passive entry system even though the vehicle is locked, is considered a wake up and will cause the procedure to fail and require repeating.

The procedure has not changed. If you are getting your vehicle back in under 6 hours then the modules were most likely updated and the battery integrity portion was not completed. If you brought your vehicle in fully charged then in absolute best case it should take six and half hours to complete. If the vehicle was returned with less than 90% charge then the recall was also not performed unless the vehicle needed other repairs which resulted in a discharged battery, such as a road noise complaint that required test driving.

If you dropped your vehicle off only for the recall, and you got it back with less than you brought it in with, then by default you should assume the recall has not been properly performed.

I'll state this once more; this recall pays the technician on average 0.6 hours of labor perform and most will take roughly 9 hours of actual time to complete. I would wager the vast majority of 4XEs will not have this recall performed properly due to insufficient labor time allotted by Stellantis.

 

[aguamenti21]

I saw battery had to be >90%, two three hour cycles, etc - seemed like a big headache that was going to take all day.


When I dropped it off the tech said they were "doing that last week" but now the software would be able to check right away and let them know if they have to do the three hour cycles...my battery was also at 65% when I gave it to them.


Picked it up and battery was 65%, looked at my dashcam - they took it into an inside bay around 9:10am and was parked back outside at 10:05am. Never plugged in... the sheet they gave me said the B9A was complete. They also did the defrost recall.

I might call Jeep Wave tomorrow? The sheet I got just says that they performed all reflashing.

 

[alphawolff]

I saw battery had to be >90%, two three hour cycles, etc - seemed like a big headache that was going to take all day.


When I dropped it off the tech said they were "doing that last week" but now the software would be able to check right away and let them know if they have to do the three hour cycles...my battery was also at 65% when I gave it to them.


Picked it up and battery was 65%, looked at my dashcam - they took it into an inside bay around 9:10am and was parked back outside at 10:05am. Never plugged in... the sheet they gave me said the B9A was complete. They also did the defrost recall.

I might call Jeep Wave tomorrow? The sheet I got just says that they performed all reflashing.

I sometimes forget they expect you to create a "safety area" around every hybrid the comes into the shop with warning cones and everything whenever the hybrid system needs to be worked on. They don't pay for that.

I do want to note that I've yet to do one of these recalls yet myself, so it's possible the information in the recall document is not completely up to date.

 

[sconrad24]

I guess there's not alot of fear on Jeep's or the dealer's side about these catching fire. I'm not a lawyer but if an owner has it documented this update was performed the liability is back on Jeep and/or the dealer where it was done?

 

[Panda Mafia]

Same here a day and a half.

Now for the weirdness, a drive that normally would have sucked down 35-45% battery, only used about 25%.

Anyone noticed better range, I was always at the 20-21 mile range for these city trips.

It's 10C today vs the usual 4C, not sure if that is a factor, I'll fully charge tonight, and I'll know for sure when I do my run tomorrow morning.

At least I don't have to feel like a criminal like I did the last few months charging and parking next to structures, and other vehicles.

wow must be nice :D
I have not noticed any difference on mine. I only drove it a few times since, had to leave for work for a week. As long as it's not worse . I did noticed the put it in two wheel drive which felt word just seeing it, im always in all wheel drive.

 

[Mgg253]

Must be nice being able to even get the jeep into the shop… scheduled mine to go in last week, they can’t get it in until 3/27. Must be super important and so risky ?.

and I’m to expect they’ll go through a 6-9 hr procedure on this? When you have to schedule out just a drop off almost 30 days???

 

[BXFXJeep]

wow must be nice :D
I have not noticed any difference on mine. I only drove it a few times since, had to leave for work for a week. As long as it's not worse . I did noticed the put it in two wheel drive which felt word just seeing it, im always in all wheel drive.

No range difference

 

[BXFXJeep]

I guess there's not alot of fear on Jeep's or the dealer's side about these catching fire. I'm not a lawyer but if an owner has it documented this update was performed the liability is back on Jeep and/or the dealer where it was done?

That's pretty much all I wanted, for the liability to be back on Jeep, telling owners not to park near structures and other vehicles is as stupid as it gets, and that was my only gripe with the recall.

That's why I got it in as soon as possible.

 

[Tokenwasp]

I guess there's not alot of fear on Jeep's or the dealer's side about these catching fire. I'm not a lawyer but if an owner has it documented this update was performed the liability is back on Jeep and/or the dealer where it was done?

This.

Honestly, this procedure seems like it was made-up to make it look like they were doing something when they really still have no idea what caused the earlier fires. Leaving it plugged-in to a level 2 charger after it is fully charged does nothing. Letting it sit, plugged-in, for three hours after being at 90% does nothing (mine does this every night because I've still been charging mine every day).

I just want the recall checked-off from my service history. I know it isn't changing anything, they know it isn't changing anything, so just get it done.

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