Badmouthing Jeep

[Buckster]

Just for the record -
I don't have death wobble, dead spots, or random steering lock up.
I have no electrical gremlins, and she has never just died going down the highway.
My welds are good, although my fuses were loose.
I currently have 2 cracks in the windshield, but such is life.
My dealership experience for the V41 recall neither excited nor disappointed me, however I am 100% DIY so my range of comparison is pretty much nonexistent.
I also have a 2015 Grand Cherokee and while the fit and finish is not on par with past Audis, it has been rock solid in dependability and as a tow vehicle.
Am I a Jeep fanboy? Not really, but I do have a few t-shirts and hats.
I understand that all mechanical products are subject to flaws and failings and I am prepared to deal with most, so no big deal.
Just my .02 and probably worth less than that.

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[Strommen95]

People love to whine and make small things out to be major issues. Look around the road when you drive and you see older Jeeps every where. Older Wranglers, older Cherokees and older Grand Cherokees all over the place. Despite what the chorus preaches they wouldn't be all over if they were unreliable money pits.

 

[rickinAZ]

that’s how I felt until Friday when my instrument cluster died at 16,000 miles. Back ordered part now they put Me in a fking dodge caravan for at minimum a week. I’ve had fords, GM, Nissan and Toyota’s and not one has ever left me without it more than a day. Yes they all have issues but the JL seems to have big issues.

So...are you saying that your whole opinion about Jeep changed Friday? Because of a back-ordered part?

 

[viper88]

The opposite side that you will see are people that stand behind Jeep no matter what. They are downright in denial that there are any issues, that things could be better, or poor choices have been made by FCA etc.

Apple and Jeep have almost a cult like following and neither can do any wrong or be subpar.

It's a Jeep Thing!

 

[RubenZ]

People love to whine and make small things out to be major issues. Look around the road when you drive and you see older Jeeps every where. Older Wranglers, older Cherokees and older Grand Cherokees all over the place. Despite what the chorus preaches they wouldn't be all over if they were unreliable money pits.

As an owner of a TJ and XJ Cherokee I can tell you they are very reliable mechanically. Their electronics and interior finish are a different story. You see them on the roads because let's face it, the drivetrain on JEEPS has always been great. It's the other stuff. My Cherokee was plagued with electrical issues. Especially the door, ABS system etc. But despite that, the motor was still kicking at 200k.

So...are you saying that your whole opinion about Jeep changed Friday? Because of a back-ordered part?

No. I'm just bitter. I can't believe that a vehicles that has already been 3 years on the market takes WEEKS to get a part in. Thats just bad planning on FCA's part or that tells you there are a lot of issues with said parts they can't keep up.

I don't understand where the thought that I'm against JEEPS is coming from. I love them. Let me make that clear. Heck I even have a BLOG I dedicated to mine. Check all my threads.

 

[aldo98229]

Since JD Power was brought up: their more relevant measures for us are VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study) and CSI (Customer Service Index).

• VDS measures PP100 (number of problems per 100 vehicles sold) at 3 years of ownership. CSI measures satisfaction with dealers.
• Their other famous study, IQS (Initial Quality Study), is not all that relevant to us. It only measures PP100 in the first 90 days of ownership, which is a more appropriate measure for the manufacturing plants and the dealers.

Before someone starts badmouthing JD Power: unlike Consumer Reports, which is blatantly biased, JD Power surveys actual owners like us, of every make and model sold, and tallies the results.

The latest 2019 VDS results has Jeep 8th from the bottom; the year before was 4th from the bottom, in 2017 Jeep was 2nd from the bottom.

CSI is no different. In the latest report Jeep dealers rank 3rd from the bottom; the year before it was 4th from the bottom, in 2017 Jeep was 2nd from the bottom, and so forth.

Notice that ALL FCA brands rank low in both quality and customer service. In 30+ years buying Chrysler products, I have never seen its brands do so consistently poorly as they do under FCA.

Does this mean our Jeeps are junk? No. Does this means all Jeep dealers suck? No. All it says is that Jeep owners —i.e., us— have a greater probability of encountering problems than owners of other brands, and have a greater probability of being treated poorly than customers of other dealer franchises.

The fact that Jeep and all FCA brands cluster together at the bottom of these charts, year after year, is a strong indication that FCA management doesn’t think these to be a problem. As an FCA customer who is being asked to pay ever rising prices, I find this hard to stomach.

 

[viper88]

Since JD Power was brought up: their more relevant measures for us are VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study) and CSI (Customer Service Index).

• VDS measures PP100 (number of problems per 100 vehicles sold) at 3 years of ownership. CSI measures satisfaction with dealers.
• Their other famous study, IQS (Initial Quality Study), is not all that relevant to us. It only measures PP100 in the first 90 days of ownership, which is a more appropriate measure for the manufacturing plants and the dealers.

Before someone starts badmouthing JD Power: unlike Consumer Reports, which is blatantly biased, JD Power surveys actual owners like us, of every make and model sold, and tallies the results.

The latest 2019 VDS results has Jeep 8th from the bottom; the year before was 4th from the bottom, in 2017 Jeep was 2nd from the bottom.

CSI is no different. In the latest report Jeep dealers rank 3rd from the bottom; the year before it was 4th from the bottom, in 2017 Jeep was 2nd from the bottom, and so forth.

Notice that ALL FCA brands rank low in both quality and customer service. In 30+ years buying Chrysler products, I have never seen its brands do so consistently poorly as they do under FCA.

Does this mean our Jeeps are junk? No. Does this means all Jeep dealers suck? No. All it says is that Jeep owners —i.e., us— have a greater probability of encountering problems than owners of other brands, and have a greater probability of being treated poorly than customers of other dealer franchises.

The fact that Jeep and all FCA brands cluster together at the bottom of these charts, year after year, is a strong indication that FCA management doesn’t think these to be a problem. As an FCA customer who is being asked to pay ever rising prices, I find this hard to stomach.

Here is a interesting quote..
“It costs a lot of effort to score highly on Consumer Reports, particularly against the Japanese or Koreans, and they don’t put the investment in to do that,” Sherman said of FCA. “I think they’re just focusing their resources on what works.”

https://www.freep.com/story/money/c...chrysler-quality-consumer-reports/3292743002/

FCA can definitely do better with suppliers.
"The 2016 survey of nearly 500 Tier 1 suppliers show FCA's relations with its major suppliers declined for the third straight year and trailed those of rivals Toyota, Honda, Ford, General Motors and Nissan."

https://www.autonews.com/article/20...a-doing-the-wrong-things-supplier-survey-says

 

[aldo98229]

Here is a interesting quote..
“It costs a lot of effort to score highly on Consumer Reports, particularly against the Japanese or Koreans, and they don’t put the investment in to do that,” Sherman said of FCA. “I think they’re just focusing their resources on what works.”

https://www.freep.com/story/money/c...chrysler-quality-consumer-reports/3292743002/

Like I said, Consumer Reports is biased junk. JD Power on the other hand, is a plain reflection of owners’ collective experiences.

I can take that quote to mean a variety of things. Including that FCA considers paying dividends more important than keeping customers happy.

It’s been proven time after time, that the best way to succeed in the long run, is by keeping your customers happy.

 

[Spank]

I love my Jeep, but I badmouth FCA all the time. I have never seen a company work so diligently to not stand behind a product.

 

[JEEPIDON]

One of the annoyances I find when cruising the forums is negativity against the "Brand". And..Jeep forums are no exception. I get that people have issues, and want to vent, but some people continuously bash Jeep at EVERY opportunity.

Why stick around the forum spewing venom? And, why continue to buy Jeeps if the vehicles/company are so bad?

I hear you brother! Not only negativity and much is not justified. I think a lot of what we hear is a bunch of crap and some folks just jump on the bandwagon because they are lonely? The real pet peeve I have is when you get people on here giving the worst advice possible which can lead the OP into doing some pretty dumb things! One guy had a pre-delivery dent and the guy was screaming "Lemon Law"! Lots of luck with that one. In the same thread the OP was advised to get an attorney and demand a new vehicle before anything was diagnosed. He didn't think anyone should work with their dealer but go right to litigation. Interesting how it turned out that it was a loose fuse and a broken fuse. Don't think the attorney could have litigated a new vehicle over that episode.

But overall there are some pretty bright folks on here and more importantly....they are willing to help another Jeeper!!!

Stay strong brother!

 

[mmcbeat]

I bought my new Jeep back in July and couldn’t be more pleased with it. Shortly after buying my a Jeep, I joined this forum. I don’t spend as much time here as I thought I would because of the complainers.

 

[ekimgnuj]

One of the annoyances I find when cruising the forums is negativity against the "Brand". And..Jeep forums are no exception. I get that people have issues, and want to vent, but some people continuously bash Jeep at EVERY opportunity.

Why stick around the forum spewing venom? And, why continue to buy Jeeps if the vehicles/company are so bad?

I can only speak for myself, I gripe a lot about Jeep because I have had far more problems with new Jeeps than should ever happen with new vehicles. Why do I hang around? Because I love Jeeps and I will keep buying them, even after they burst into flames for no apparent reason when I’m driving them (it was a 2007 JK). I also laud praise on Jeeps and have convinced at least a dozen people to get them over the years. None of this means I should give up my right to complain when I have a problem, it often helps me find a solution to whatever issue has been vexing me!

 

[aldo98229]

I'm not sure I'd blindly trust JD Power either frankly. For decades, CR had a glowing reputation...only to find out in multiple instances that while they didn't take advertising dollars...they took plenty of money under the table.

I'm not claiming that JDP takes money under the table...but it wouldn't exactly surprise me either. IMO, initial quality is only a very small part of the picture...tell me what its like after 3 years/36K miles or when a vehicle goes out of warranty. I know I'm in the minority that keeps good vehicles well past the warranty, but it's a pretty good indicator of ACTUAL quality and engineering.

JD Power does two similar studies: (1) IQS (Initial Quality Study) which surveys owners after the first 90 days; (2) VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study) which surveys owners at 3 years of ownership.

I normally look at the latter, VDS; it is more representative of owners’ overall experience. IQS is mostly for automakers to measure that the plants and the dealers are doing what they should.

 

[TravisRogers]

One of the annoyances I find when cruising the forums is negativity against the "Brand". And..Jeep forums are no exception. I get that people have issues, and want to vent, but some people continuously bash Jeep at EVERY opportunity.

Why stick around the forum spewing venom? And, why continue to buy Jeeps if the vehicles/company are so bad?

I'd bet for some people, bashing Jeep on a forum relieves JUST enough stress to keep them from climbing a clock tower with a bazooka. Look into Lee Harvey Oswald's history. You'll note that minutes before he snapped, a ninth dealership told him his Jeep "drives as designed" and the wandering steering was all in his head.

 

[aldo98229]

I'd bet for some people, bashing Jeep on a forum relieves JUST enough stress to keep them from climbing a clock tower with a bazooka. Look into Lee Harvey Oswald's history. You'll note that minutes before he snapped, a ninth dealership told him his Jeep "drives as designed" and the wandering steering was all in his head.

It’s a Jeep thing. Mr Oswald just didn’t understand...

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