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Clutch recall problems

Kluk Ztopolovky

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It looks like just about everyone with the W12 recall will have the repairs done yet I was told after they did the recall inspection that my clutch is fine despite the fact I smelled the clutch oil earlier when the Jeep was new. I can't say I smell it anymore but it makes me uneasy to think I may develop serious and costly clutch problem in the future. I would like to know how by inspecting some house around the clutch the dealer can determine existence of the problem or give it a pass like they did in my case.
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RubiSc0tt

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It looks like just about everyone with the W12 recall will have the repairs done yet I was told after they did the recall inspection that my clutch is fine despite the fact I smelled the clutch oil earlier when the Jeep was new. I can't say I smell it anymore but it makes me uneasy to think I may develop serious and costly clutch problem in the future. I would like to know how by inspecting some house around the clutch the dealer can determine existence of the problem or give it a pass like they did in my case.
FWIW:
I asked the technicians point blank: What does the inspection involve? because I was curious and also I added skid plates, so as a courtesy, I wanted to give them a heads up.

The reply I got, was they have to put the Jeep on the lift, and check everything: the housing, the hoses, cables, etc, and actually "Open:" the transmission/engine connection point so they can see the clutch plates. I was told the inspection itself would take about 2 hours. Seems to line up with my own experience: when we did the clutch on my 04 Rubi, we did it in my buddy's garage with no lift, but a decent amount of air and power tools. All the prep work (rust fighting) was done ahead of time, we started at 9am, and I was back on the road by 2pm, and that was with an hour break for lunch. We had ~6 guys doing the work, and while we were working fast, it was a relatively easy pace. We still had time to crack jokes, Google info as needed, and BS a bit. I would have to imagine for jobs like that, they have a couple guys dedicated to them when they come in, and the full shop, plus the fact that it is a fairly new vehicle so there is little to do in the way of fighting with rusty hardware, should make it a pretty quick and easy procedure, especially if you aren't dropping the entire transmission and removing the clutch, unless there actually is a problem. .

My dealer has played it straight with me in every interaction I've had thus far. I have no reason to disbelieve what they're telling me. I am a skeptic by nature though and ultimately we'll see what comes of all of this. I had toyed with the idea of putting a centerforce kit in my Jeep but hadn't gone too far down that avenue because I wanted to at least try the recall route first, and see what exactly was getting replaced, The skeptic in me also wants to find out what exactly the source of the issue is, both out of curiosity and concern- No use blindly replacing parts if the new parts are just going to fail due to a design flaw. We shall see.
 

Kluk Ztopolovky

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FWIW:
I asked the technicians point blank: What does the inspection involve? because I was curious and also I added skid plates, so as a courtesy, I wanted to give them a heads up.

The reply I got, was they have to put the Jeep on the lift, and check everything: the housing, the hoses, cables, etc, and actually "Open:" the transmission/engine connection point so they can see the clutch plates. I was told the inspection itself would take about 2 hours. Seems to line up with my own experience: when we did the clutch on my 04 Rubi, we did it in my buddy's garage with no lift, but a decent amount of air and power tools. All the prep work (rust fighting) was done ahead of time, we started at 9am, and I was back on the road by 2pm, and that was with an hour break for lunch. We had ~6 guys doing the work, and while we were working fast, it was a relatively easy pace. We still had time to crack jokes, Google info as needed, and BS a bit. I would have to imagine for jobs like that, they have a couple guys dedicated to them when they come in, and the full shop, plus the fact that it is a fairly new vehicle so there is little to do in the way of fighting with rusty hardware, should make it a pretty quick and easy procedure, especially if you aren't dropping the entire transmission and removing the clutch, unless there actually is a problem. .

My dealer has played it straight with me in every interaction I've had thus far. I have no reason to disbelieve what they're telling me. I am a skeptic by nature though and ultimately we'll see what comes of all of this. I had toyed with the idea of putting a centerforce kit in my Jeep but hadn't gone too far down that avenue because I wanted to at least try the recall route first, and see what exactly was getting replaced, The skeptic in me also wants to find out what exactly the source of the issue is, both out of curiosity and concern- No use blindly replacing parts if the new parts are just going to fail due to a design flaw. We shall see.
I hear you well and loud Rubiscot. As soon as I open the door of any car dealership my mouth dries up and my blood pressure is surely going up. I am kind of resigned . This is my first Wrangler and I think I knew I am taking a gamble. I will give it some time and if it won't be an easy ownership I will hop into something else. But I really enjoy riding in the Jeep that's for sure : )
One of the reasons why I picked standard is the reliability factor and here we go with a recall.
 
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RubiSc0tt

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If i had to guess, I definitely would have guessed the Auto would have been the one to have the problems.

Also: a friend brought up the point: Jeeps have never really been reliable- at least, not in the modern sense. You always have to keep up on your maintenance. With that, and some tinkering they will last for a long time, and will keep going anywhere. Ultimately, you get out of it what you put into it, and as long as you're happy with that, it's worth it.

Does that excuse the oversight on FCA's part, in terms of the various legit issues with the JL platform? Absolutely not.

But as I've said before, and I continue to say: Part of the benefit of having a Jeep is the aftermarket support, and the fact that if the OEM can't get it right, you can bet your ass that the aftermarket will solve the problem and then some. If they can't fix my Jeep right- I probably know someone who can, and fix it better. I bought it to use it- road trips, trail rides, etc. I'm going to do that. I'm not usually one to back down in terms of customer support, or protections/ warranty- but I would rather spend the money and time fixing and using my Jeep vs. arguing with a dealer/ FCA.
 

Jeepjunkie

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I just posted the below on the “clutch recall”/W12 thread, so I don’t think you have to get the clutch/PP replaced to have things improved:

I just picked up my JLUS this AM after having the W12 recall done. It was pretty painless.

FWIW, just before I took it in for the recall I did the clutch test myself (rev to 4K, let out the clutch and floor it). It failed my test and the clutch slipped. I informed the dealer of the slipping clutch.
They did not replace the clutch on my JL, just bleed it, got rid of the clip and added the protective sleeve.
I talked to the service rep at length. He said they visually inspected the clutch too, and that it passed the dump/stress test.

I was skeptical so I re did the 4K rev, floor it and dump the clutch test again, and low and behold the clutch held and the engine instantly stalled. So what they did certainly helped. It does feel like a more solid engagement as well.

Also, my JL is heavily modified (PR44, 2.5” lift, Tazer in place, etc) and they have me zero pushback. Even were very accommodating when I asked not to have a computer reflash done. Really great service.
YMMV
 

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Jeepjunkie

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PS, they also reportedly inspected the clutch mechanism visually
 

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Good to hear @Jeepjunkie !

I just got an update from my dealer today: Still no ETA on the part. They're waiting on Chrysler Corporate to send them the part but availability is the issue. It's either the part from the Slave cylinder, the Slave Cylinder or the entire slave cylinder if they can't get that. According to my Service Rep, he said the last one of these they did it took about 2 weeks to get the part, but there were other problems in that case so mine may take a little less.

I still have my rental so I'm thankful for that, I'm just bummed that it's been the nicest 2 weeks of the year so far and I'm without my Jeep. It's been perfect weather for trail rides and outdoor stuff with my son. I was planning to swap to the soft top as well. Glad I waited, I guess.
 

OBJLU

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Big surprise, no parts in today even though I was told they were on the way. This is a cluster@$%K
 

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there is a hole between the transmission and engine i guess they check the clutch disc from there?
my dealer told me the recall is a "2-stage" inspection first and replace if necessary. Only about 1 % of the recall actually needs the clutch replaced. I'm one of those lucky/unlucky one. I have been waiting for parts over 5 weeks already.
 

Kluk Ztopolovky

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there is a hole between the transmission and engine i guess they check the clutch disc from there?
my dealer told me the recall is a "2-stage" inspection first and replace if necessary. Only about 1 % of the recall actually needs the clutch replaced. I'm one of those lucky/unlucky one. I have been waiting for parts over 5 weeks already.
I think if you are scheduled for a replacement you are the "lucky" one : )
 

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there is a hole between the transmission and engine i guess they check the clutch disc from there?
my dealer told me the recall is a "2-stage" inspection first and replace if necessary. Only about 1 % of the recall actually needs the clutch replaced. I'm one of those lucky/unlucky one. I have been waiting for parts over 5 weeks already.
If you send us your VIN and dealer info in a PM, we can look into your parts situation.

Kaitlin
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RubiSc0tt

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Alright, so quick update for everyone following along:
I called my dealer Wednesday. No update, no ETA on parts, no luck. I then called FCA Corporate/ Customer care. The first person I talked to seemed to have trouble understanding what I was asking for, gave me wrong info, and then instead of transferring me, she ended up hanging. At this point, I was pretty livid. I called back, talked to another rep.

Here's the important part: She informed that recall parts cannot be expedited.
Reason: Per FCA corporate, recall parts are automatically put on restriction, and each dealer is only allotted a certain amount per week. Each part is supposed to be assigned to a repair/ recall case. This is to avoid one dealer buying them up, and either A). Hoarding them and the business, while putting other dealers at a disadvantage, or B). Selling them at an inflated rate.

She suggested that I see if my Jeep is driveable, call some other dealers, see if they have the part and schedule the service there. Now, I don't need to tell you guys how absolutely horrible of an idea this is: because even if the Jeep is driveable, and you get it to the next dealer , you just start the waiting process all over again.
Instead, what I did was I called several other dealers in the area and confirmed they had the parts in hand. I then called my dealer back and informed my service manager. He cross referenced with the technician to see which parts were ordered and if they could actually get them from another dealer, and if that dealer would be willing to sell them. Of course, nobody else had them and they were something they could not get from another dealer.
That said, I got a call on Thursday Morning and was told they needed to get my Jeep back together and do the clutch hold test. If it passes, I'm good, but if it doesn't then the clutch will have to be replaced. Of course, the clutch failed and they said they ordered the parts, they are going to do everything they can to get my Jeep back to me by Wednesday at the latest.

This is by far the biggest pain in the ass and the absolute worst/ Most ridiculous bit of policy I've ever dealt with in terms of vehicles. Apparently FCA won't even send the dealer a tracking number, and if they do, service doesn't have access to it.

So I wait, with fingers crossed, that I'll have my Jeep back by Wednesday.
 

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If I were Centerforce right now I'd be doing a deep sale and some heavy marketing.... maybe partnering with "authorized installers" to help customers get their new clutches installed
 

RubiSc0tt

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If I were Centerforce right now I'd be doing a deep sale and some heavy marketing.... maybe partnering with "authorized installers" to help customers get their new clutches installed
I thought about this exact thing.
I actually posed this hypothetical to the second rep, and from what she said it seems FCA will only pay out if it's an "emergency" basis- meaning you're on the way home from a road trip and your clutch stops working, or possibly if you don't have a dealer within 300mi or something. Either way, it didn't sound like I was going to get anywhere with that, even if i ordered a Centerforce kit and did the work myself.
 

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Alright, so quick update for everyone following along:
I called my dealer Wednesday. No update, no ETA on parts, no luck. I then called FCA Corporate/ Customer care. The first person I talked to seemed to have trouble understanding what I was asking for, gave me wrong info, and then instead of transferring me, she ended up hanging. At this point, I was pretty livid. I called back, talked to another rep.

Here's the important part: She informed that recall parts cannot be expedited.
Reason: Per FCA corporate, recall parts are automatically put on restriction, and each dealer is only allotted a certain amount per week. Each part is supposed to be assigned to a repair/ recall case. This is to avoid one dealer buying them up, and either A). Hoarding them and the business, while putting other dealers at a disadvantage, or B). Selling them at an inflated rate.

She suggested that I see if my Jeep is driveable, call some other dealers, see if they have the part and schedule the service there. Now, I don't need to tell you guys how absolutely horrible of an idea this is: because even if the Jeep is driveable, and you get it to the next dealer , you just start the waiting process all over again.
Instead, what I did was I called several other dealers in the area and confirmed they had the parts in hand. I then called my dealer back and informed my service manager. He cross referenced with the technician to see which parts were ordered and if they could actually get them from another dealer, and if that dealer would be willing to sell them. Of course, nobody else had them and they were something they could not get from another dealer.
That said, I got a call on Thursday Morning and was told they needed to get my Jeep back together and do the clutch hold test. If it passes, I'm good, but if it doesn't then the clutch will have to be replaced. Of course, the clutch failed and they said they ordered the parts, they are going to do everything they can to get my Jeep back to me by Wednesday at the latest.

This is by far the biggest pain in the ass and the absolute worst/ Most ridiculous bit of policy I've ever dealt with in terms of vehicles. Apparently FCA won't even send the dealer a tracking number, and if they do, service doesn't have access to it.

So I wait, with fingers crossed, that I'll have my Jeep back by Wednesday.
Can you send us your VIN in a PM? The dealer should be doing the clutch test first before ordering any parts.

Kaitlin
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