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Ball joints came out! Is this an isolated case or a problem?

Martindfletcher

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Other than the ex-girlfriend, well put! LOL The funny thing about this ball joint/U joints/now bet housing two is beyond me with a vehicle as 4000 miles on it and has not done any any serious offering like you see on YouTube, Moab, Colorado, hell Big bear in California has some pretty rough train and I havent even had the opportunity to do any of this real wheeling. So my question is, how do you bend a Dana 44 steel tub housing with zero proof of any kind of IMPAC! There is no markings on the housing there’s no scrapes, dings or dents, not even on the rim of the wheel, perfectly round. Now I’m no mechanic but I do have common sense, and the impact was so severe to bend that Dana 44 housing tube, but no damage to any components other than my ball joints coming out and my axle ujoints breaking. By the way my vehicle has been there for two weeks and no one told me that I had a bent housing until yesterday. I had asked for a list of what parts that were being replaced as well. Oh by the way, full list price as well but one discount.

I saved the best for last. The dealership told me that the claim was denied yesterday because an engineer had looked at pictures they sent him, really, that’s how we determine a situation like this without visiting and actually ooking at the damage for yourself?

As you well know I have made multiple calls to Jeep, I have a case number and a person assigned to it her name is Cecelia, I even have Jeep cares involved. I have never even heard from this person and Jeep never called me and Jeep cares claims that they been in contact with this person and she was supposed to call me within 24 hours will only hold this was two days ago I’ve heard nothing from nobody.

This is the worst customer service I have ever been involved in in my entire life. It’s almost like you’re forced to lawyer up and get channel 4 news involved just to get any attention or to have someone who cares call you back!

I’m not going to commit to something that did not happen and that I did not do! The dealership also told me just turned into your insurance, really?

I’m going to the dealership tomorrow to actually look at what they are talking about, They did not ask me to come , I told them I was coming down.

Lastly, what’s really funny is that the dealership was the last want to work on that left front driver-side. Matter of fact they worked on it twice! The first technician took my whole front end apart including my driveshaft, upper control arm, etc. This was because of Mopar’s defective bowed springs problem on the Mopar 2” lift! After he finally figured out how to put the isolator in with everything apart they had to use a comm a long on my driver side wrapping it around that left side Axel housings to put things back into place. I asked them when I saw that, what the hell are you doing putting a come along around my axle and they said it’s no big deal they had to do that or get things back in place. Anyway, week later I took it back to the dealership A week later because the upper isolators We’re not in correctly and my upper control arm ball was not even typing it was finger loose rattlin we’re not incorrectly and my upper control arm ball was not even typing it was finger loose rattling. I took it back to them in shop foreman worked on my vehicle it was only supposed to be there an hour and a half dropped off at 9 AM I did not get back till 5 PM that day. Between the time that they worked on my vehicle and my vehicle been damaged from whatever other than me, It had less than 280 miles on it. Let’s be clear I’m not saying that this is dumb down however, it sure is funny that this all happened on my driver side. Maybe it’s a combination of Mopar in the dealership I don’t know if they can make a decision based on pictures, I guess I can make my decision based on common sense.

Jeep Cares, you asked me to let you know if my case manager did not contact me within 24 hours. I am letting you know as of today, this is day three since your PM, my case manager has ever called.

Assuming your description of your off-roading experience is factual, seems the come along and rework would have stressed it more.

I have beat the crap out of mine in big bear, not so rough as Kevin/Iitebrite, but enough I needed real skids, and a new drive shaft. Knock on wood, but my worst issue requiring repair was like [Banned Site] where my front diff plug came loose, but mine screwed up the internal threads.
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ALRUI

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Were the Jeeps older ones or JK/JL's?
 

ocrejects

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Assuming your description of your off-roading experience is factual, seems the come along and rework would have stressed it more.

I have beat the crap out of mine in big bear, not so rough as Kevin/Iitebrite, but enough I needed real skids, and a new drive shaft. Knock on wood, but my worst issue requiring repair was like [Banned Site] where my front diff plug came loose, but mine screwed up the internal threads.
That’s my complaint and point. At this stage sounds like you’re driving as well as lightbrite and all the other wheelers who actually use their jeep make me look like a Sunday driver at this stage with my vehicle. None of this makes sense to me! Again they have said in order for this to happen there had to have been a major impact, this is why am so dumbfounded because there is zero proof of any impact! You can just look at my jeep and not even be knowledgeable of what it can do to see that the vehicle has not been abused in anyway shape or form, much less have a major impact or minor impact.

Anyway, headed to the dealership (Premiere Chrysler Jeep) in Buena Park this morning with one of the individuals ( has a new JLUR) that was out on the trail with me who witnessed what happened to see this bent axle housing.
Stay tuned!
 

Rubidozer

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I worked for Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge for years as an assistant service manager. This can be warrantied. I had 3 engineers come to my dealership and pay my mechanics to tear-down my 2007 Rubicon Unlimited (very early model). They took over a week and warrantied everything. All I did was contact my Regional Service Representative and explain what had happened. I had 35” tires on a 3” lift and it wasn’t Mopar.
First: Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975
Second: Mopar Parts Lift Kit warranty
Read up on this stuff and get it done.
Don’t give up and bend over. There are plenty of idiots, slackjawed dumbasses, lazy fools, and some folks with personal problems and control issues. Use knowledge of those 2 previous points to prove your Jeep should be warrantied. There are even lawyers with the Fair Trade Commission that handle the first point.
Good luck!
 

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ocrejects

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I worked for Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge for years as an assistant service manager. This can be warrantied. I had 3 engineers come to my dealership and pay my mechanics to tear-down my 2007 Rubicon Unlimited (very early model). They took over a week and warrantied everything. All I did was contact my Regional Service Representative and explain what had happened. I had 35” tires on a 3” lift and it wasn’t Mopar.
First: Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975
Second: Mopar Parts Lift Kit warranty
Read up on this stuff and get it done.
Don’t give up and bend over. There are plenty of idiots, slackjawed dumbasses, lazy fools, and some folks with personal problems and control issues. Use knowledge of those 2 previous points to prove your Jeep should be warrantied. There are even lawyers with the Fair Trade Commission that handle the first point.
Good luck!
OK so here is an update: Went to the dealer with my friend James who was with me on this low level flat ground Trailride in lose sand. My point is the Jeeps were under no stress whatsoever!

When we arrived we were introduced to three
technicians, the shop foreman, technician I had worked on jeeps for year when we arrived we were introduced to three technicians, shop foreman, a high level technician and another hi level technician with over 46 years and working on jeeps.

It started off kind of rough because they had done pretty much a visual inspection and by looking at just the front of the vehicle they assumed that I got airborne and when it came down it bent the axle housing. I didn’t like that response and started telling them how it all went down. When I got to ball joints disconnected they said what, what ball joints disconnected. They had no idea that my ball joint had disconnected from the knuckle. So I showed them pictures and told them the full story. The more we talk the more they understood what had happened and that it was not from the person driving the vehicle it was from the vehicle itself. I was dumbfounded that they knew nothing of what I told the service advisor which you put in the computer about what it happened my vehicle when it was told there. The tire that Blue out was from hitting the track bar bolt, but you can clearly see on inside the tire which is still on the back of the Jeep. Once they had all the correct information it made more sense and what was going on and they had not heard a ball joints coming out like that, thank God for pictures. There is an engineer coming out tomorrow for other reasons so they were going to include mine and also have the page pictures available so they can tell the engineer the story and try and figure out why the ball joints came out. Thankfully we went to the dealership and explain to the technicians what went down because obviously nobody told them anything. One of the technicians even mentioned he had never seen ball joints pop out like that. At the end of our meeting, everyone was really nice and they were looking at the situation a lot different. Because of there knowledge and expertise I do feel better about tomorrow’s meeting with the engineer. Hopefully we will have a different outcomecome tomorrow, lets wait-and-see.
 

panda234

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OK so here is an update: Went to the dealer with my friend James who was with me on this low level flat ground Trailride in lose sand. My point is the Jeeps were under no stress whatsoever!

When we arrived we were introduced to three
technicians, the shop foreman, technician I had worked on jeeps for year when we arrived we were introduced to three technicians, shop foreman, a high level technician and another hi level technician with over 46 years and working on jeeps.

It started off kind of rough because they had done pretty much a visual inspection and by looking at just the front of the vehicle they assumed that I got airborne and when it came down it bent the axle housing. I didn’t like that response and started telling them how it all went down. When I got to ball joints disconnected they said what, what ball joints disconnected. They had no idea that my ball joint had disconnected from the knuckle. So I showed them pictures and told them the full story. The more we talk the more they understood what had happened and that it was not from the person driving the vehicle it was from the vehicle itself. I was dumbfounded that they knew nothing of what I told the service advisor which you put in the computer about what it happened my vehicle when it was told there. The tire that Blue out was from hitting the track bar bolt, but you can clearly see on inside the tire which is still on the back of the Jeep. Once they had all the correct information it made more sense and what was going on and they had not heard a ball joints coming out like that, thank God for pictures. There is an engineer coming out tomorrow for other reasons so they were going to include mine and also have the page pictures available so they can tell the engineer the story and try and figure out why the ball joints came out. Thankfully we went to the dealership and explain to the technicians what went down because obviously nobody told them anything. One of the technicians even mentioned he had never seen ball joints pop out like that. At the end of our meeting, everyone was really nice and they were looking at the situation a lot different. Because of there knowledge and expertise I do feel better about tomorrow’s meeting with the engineer. Hopefully we will have a different outcomecome tomorrow, lets wait-and-see.
That sounds like beyond pitiful communication between the service writer and the techs.
 

Rubidozer

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Glad to hear it went well. Sorry that you had to find one of the majority of poor service advisors. That was a big reason why I’ve left the automotive field.
Hope it all goes well and ends well.
 
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James

James

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I worked for Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge for years as an assistant service manager. This can be warrantied. I had 3 engineers come to my dealership and pay my mechanics to tear-down my 2007 Rubicon Unlimited (very early model). They took over a week and warrantied everything. All I did was contact my Regional Service Representative and explain what had happened. I had 35” tires on a 3” lift and it wasn’t Mopar.
First: Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975
Second: Mopar Parts Lift Kit warranty
Read up on this stuff and get it done.
Don’t give up and bend over. There are plenty of idiots, slackjawed dumbasses, lazy fools, and some folks with personal problems and control issues. Use knowledge of those 2 previous points to prove your Jeep should be warrantied. There are even lawyers with the Fair Trade Commission that handle the first point.
Good luck!
This is unreal!
First they tell the owner that he must have hit something going really fast to cause the damage.
Next they say he must have been in 4 wheel drive and jumped it
Now the rep for FCA is saying he was up against an object and hammered on it for this much damage.
 

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zamboniman

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Service writer thing completely unacceptable and cause for lots of grief so far. I think I'd have a discussion with the dealership management as that's a huge misstep in handling this.

Just like the other member that had the Jeep fail on way home from purchase with no resolution for days. I don't think I would have handled that in the service dept. I would have taken that right back into the sales counter.
 

ALRUI

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When we arrived we were introduced to three
technicians, the shop foreman, technician I had worked on jeeps for year when we arrived we were introduced to three technicians, shop foreman, a high level technician and another hi level technician with over 46 years and working on jeeps.
I firmly believe all of your trouble started with the "technicians" who installed the lift poorly the used the come-a-long to line things up. There would be ZERO reason to use a come-a-long or any brute force tactics to install any portion of a lift kit, let alone one designed by the manufacturer IMNSHO!
 

Jeepsterfreak

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One of the technicians even mentioned he had never seen ball joints pop out like that.
Ha, that’s because it’s physically impossible for the entire ball joint assemblies to slide out of the axle on previous Jeeps, as they did on your JL.

Wonder if DANA uses similar ball joint configuration on other axles. That being both upper and lower ball joints being pressed into the axle from the same direction (from the bottom).
 

Forgettable1

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Not a mechanic, but It awfully curious how all that fuckery with the lift just so happened to be the same wheel.
 

ALRUI

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Not a mechanic, but It awfully curious how all that fuckery with the lift just so happened to be the same wheel.
I dont believe it to be coincidental myself
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