Bent soft top rod due to stuck locking mechanism

[elieah]

This happened to me. Dealer refused to warranty it since it wasn't a manufacturing error. Instead of fighting with them, I ordered the part and replaced it myself. I was able to replace it with the soft top still on my Jeep.

Thanks! Just ordered the part from quadratec.

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[elieah]

This happened to me. Dealer refused to warranty it since it wasn't a manufacturing error. Instead of fighting with them, I ordered the part and replaced it myself. I was able to replace it with the soft top still on my Jeep.

Did you do it with the top up or down?

 

[cns721]

Did you do it with the top up or down?

I did it with the top up. It was pretty easy and straightforward to do.

 

[elieah]

I did it with the top up. It was pretty easy and straightforward to do.

Thank you.

 

[JG0711]

All:

Looking for some mild advice on what could have gone wrong and confirming my planned next steps. I've had my JL for over a year and never had an issue with my softtop - removing windows, retracting, folding all the way down, putting back up, latching. Never an issue.

Yesterday when I put my soft-top all the way down, it went down smoothly. But the passenger side appears to have locked in place and then gotten stuck in the locked state. The plastic sliding lock switch (pictured) slid smoothly up and down on the drivers side and not on the passenger side - it was stuck on the down/locked position. The cable going into the mechanism felt loose but I'm not sure if that's how it feels normally when it's locked.

I needed the top up due to a severe thunderstorm and I couldn't get it unlocked after 10-15 minutes, so I decided to push. BEND. So that side is done (and didn't let me get it all the way closed anyway...sigh...but better than nothing).

So here's my plan:

1. See if local jeep dealer will warranty this and has part in stock. If not either,
2. Order full mechanism and arm from Mopar or quadratec and replace it myself (looks like $125 bucks + shipping...is what it is if I can't get warranty)

I'm worried because I have no idea why the lock suddenly got stuck in place. User error? I'd assume so but even once I realized what the issue was I couldn't get it to move past the position it shows in the picture.

Any recommendations?

Thanks all,

Joe

All:

Looking for some mild advice on what could have gone wrong and confirming my planned next steps. I've had my JL for over a year and never had an issue with my softtop - removing windows, retracting, folding all the way down, putting back up, latching. Never an issue.

Yesterday when I put my soft-top all the way down, it went down smoothly. But the passenger side appears to have locked in place and then gotten stuck in the locked state. The plastic sliding lock switch (pictured) slid smoothly up and down on the drivers side and not on the passenger side - it was stuck on the down/locked position. The cable going into the mechanism felt loose but I'm not sure if that's how it feels normally when it's locked.

I needed the top up due to a severe thunderstorm and I couldn't get it unlocked after 10-15 minutes, so I decided to push. BEND. So that side is done (and didn't let me get it all the way closed anyway...sigh...but better than nothing).

So here's my plan:

1. See if local jeep dealer will warranty this and has part in stock. If not either,
2. Order full mechanism and arm from Mopar or quadratec and replace it myself (looks like $125 bucks + shipping...is what it is if I can't get warranty)

I'm worried because I have no idea why the lock suddenly got stuck in place. User error? I'd assume so but even once I realized what the issue was I couldn't get it to move past the position it shows in the picture.

Any recommendations?

Thanks all,

Joe

I have the same problem, except my top is up. I purchased a replacement mechanism from Quadratec but can't figure out how to remove the cable from the broken mechanism. How did you do that?

 

[BrooksC]

I have the same problem, except my top is up. I purchased a replacement mechanism from Quadratec but can't figure out how to remove the cable from the broken mechanism. How did you do that?

It slides off. You need to first remove the cable clips to get some slack.
*Edit: This photo is from a 2 door. Not sure if 4 door is the same.

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