FCA lack of quality check

[Adam 4248]

FCA must make Subarus now. This month's Motor Trend reports on their long-term Subaru Ascent. In May (last year) the windshield was hit by a rock and had to be replaced by the dealer because of the safety system camera. In August they suddenly had the instrument panel full of lights, windshield camera and passenger airbags not working, transmission fluid light and CEL on plus sunroof stopped working. Took it to dealer and it sat there until mid-November with little communication from the dealer. Got it back and camera still not working plus door locks not working. Back to dealer. A few weeks after getting it back the driver's seatbelt height adjustment stopped working, no heat from the lower wents and the A pillar trim fell off. Got it back and the rear hatch wouldn't open. All on a $44,000 vehicle.

The article said the roof harness connector may have been damaged when the windshield was replaced, and the a-pillar molding had been removed by the mechanic. Many of these electrical faults are probably caused by damage to the harness connector, at/by the dealer’s mechanic. The lift gate was not broken, you can set the opening height so it will not hit your garage door. Operator error?

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[Kyanche]

FCA must make Subarus now.

Looking at reddit posts, subaru doesn't have a great reputation for reliability. Nor does Nissan, Honda, or Mitsubishi. And some models of Hondas have lots of issues.

(I can't remember ever hearing anything bad about Mazda and while I've heard a couple of Toyota lemon stories, most people speak super highly of them).

GM is my favorite though. There are people who argue that GM is THE most reliable american brand and never makes a bad car. And then there's the people who endlessly bitch about GMs being garbage.

 

[bburn2019]

I bought a 2008 Wrangler Unlimited JK new...It now has over 130K miles on it. I think the clock spring was replaced under warranty. Other than that, just brakes and regular maintenance and I do that myself. Fast forward to 2020, and we bought another Wrangler Unlimited (JL). I have two sitting in the garage like many other members of the forum. I will probably by another in 2030 if I am still around. I have had a good experience, I hope others do as well!

 

[nerubi]

The article said the roof harness connector may have been damaged when the windshield was replaced, and the a-pillar molding had been removed by the mechanic. Many of these electrical faults are probably caused by damage to the harness connector, at/by the dealer’s mechanic. The lift gate was not broken, you can set the opening height so it will not hit your garage door. Operator error?

The author said it would not open which required a trip to the dealer for a reboot. But people here complain about Jeep dealer mechanics that are incompetent so I was pointing out that every manufacturer has examples of both equipment and dealer problems. Same issue they gave the 7 month update on the 2019 JLUR. They said mileage varied mainly because of shape and the "tendency to subtly wander in its lane at highway speed".

 

[seb34567]

I'm the OP. So after many trips (again) to the dealer, they finally changed the radio. And guess what? Same electrical problems (and new ones). They changed the clutch hose, but they did not check the clutch wear like I asked since a got smells and strange clutch behavior. They told me : anyway it's on warranty so if it fail in cause of the recall or not you will have a new one. I'm tired of all that shitty talk and I'm really tired of all the small electrical problems who shouldn't be there especially on a 52000$cad MSRP car. I just traded it for a used model X. Kids miss the open top...

In fact the only thing that this fiat piece of shit has right was the resale value. Hands down for that. Loosing only 7 grands on a trade in a dealer after 15000km is in my point of view very good.

I still have my loaded roxor (Wich I made road legal) for the jeep original spirit and feeling.

Good luck to you with the long-term dependability of your FCA products...

I still have my ram '19 and the electrical problems on it seems to be related to cold temperature. So I will use it only in summer and sell/trade it asap.

Have a nice summer !

Seb

 

[RubenZ]

Strangely that was not the issue for me...it was more just ratcheting it down and getting the tools in there and contorting my body to get the right leverage...

I'm the OP. So after many trips (again) to the dealer, they finally changed the radio. And guess what? Same electrical problems (and new ones). They changed the clutch hose, but they did not check the clutch wear like I asked since a got smells and strange clutch behavior. They told me : anyway it's on warranty so if it fail in cause of the recall or not you will have a new one. I'm tired of all that shitty talk and I'm really tired of all the small electrical problems who shouldn't be there especially on a 52000$cad MSRP car. I just traded it for a used model X. Kids miss the open top...

In fact the only thing that this fiat piece of shit has right was the resale value. Hands down for that. Loosing only 7 grands on a trade in a dealer after 15000km is in my point of view very good.

I still have my loaded roxor (Wich I made road legal) for the jeep original spirit and feeling.

Good luck to you with the long-term dependability of your FCA products...

I still have my ram '19 and the electrical problems on it seems to be related to cold temperature. So I will use it only in summer and sell/trade it asap.

Have a nice summer !

Seb

Awesome Seb. At the end of the day that was the only good thing about my JL as well. The fact that I only paid like 35k out the door for the JLU Sport and got $28,500 on trade in. I couldn't complain. So not too shabby.

 

[Pourboire]

Awesome Seb. At the end of the day that was the only good thing about my JL as well. The fact that I only paid like 35k out the door for the JLU Sport and got $28,500 on trade in. I couldn't complain. So not too shabby.

I'm sorry for all these screw ups you guys experienced with FCA. I gave up on my dealership the minute I determined their service department as well as their service managers were a waste and incompetent. Unless FCA undertakes a concerted effort to better management their franchises, they will start to lose additional Jeep Wrangler customers. Unfortunately, management only understands the bottom line, and not the feelings of their purchasers which made their product a success.

 

[Mikeyut3]

Awesome Seb. At the end of the day that was the only good thing about my JL as well. The fact that I only paid like 35k out the door for the JLU Sport and got $28,500 on trade in. I couldn't complain. So not too shabby.

How did i get quoted in this thread from a different thread?!

 

[RubenZ]

How did i get quoted in this thread from a different thread?!

LOL apparently the browser cache's previous quotes. I must have quoted you in a different thread by accident and when i inserted quotes into this. it did both LOL.

 

[UTES]

I made it through the AMC years (as a Jeep sales rep) when quality was at Jeep's lowest. Probably my worst Jeep was a 1988 Sahara YJ that had awful ignition and dash wiring issues.

These new Jeeps, even with the complaints, are miles above the old ones.

Hunter

 

[JEEPIDON]

How did i get quoted in this thread from a different thread?!

magic?

 

[JEEPIDON]

I'm sorry for all these screw ups you guys experienced with FCA. I gave up on my dealership the minute I determined their service department as well as their service managers were a waste and incompetent. Unless FCA undertakes a concerted effort to better management their franchises, they will start to lose additional Jeep Wrangler customers. Unfortunately, management only understands the bottom line, and not the feelings of their purchasers which made their product a success.

You realize that folks have been saying this for decades? The first 3 years of the JK was like hell on earth with criticism. The end of Jeep for sure!

My favorite was the one with square headlights....that's it...legacy is gone, Jeep will now go out of business. I thought they looked weird but what the hell difference does it make what shape the headlights are?

Every forum has the same "end of the world" comments so that makes them normal?

 

[COBill]

The bottom line is that Jeep's build quality continues to be horrific because there is no need for Jeep to improve.

Wranglers still sell well and in great numbers, so all improving quality would do is reduce Jeep's profit margin.

Sure, it drives many away from the brand, but there are lots more buyers coming in seduced by the brand image who don't know how bad they can be, coupled with lots of enthusiasts who seem to have no issues with build quality because… it's a Jeep.

I remember when the TJ was released and Jeep literally wasn't completely painting the wheel wells, you could see where the paint would just stop, and the typical comment online was "Geez, just buy a rattle can of spray paint and fix it, you don't deserve to own a Jeep." for what was then a $25K vehicle.

With Rubicons regularly breaking $50K, the attitudes haven't changed.

Basically, Jeep is Jeep, and the biggest question is what would happen if there were ever a truly competitive vehicle in the market. The FJ Cruiser did siphon off some sales when it was available, which is why they have stopped depreciating. The new Bronco looks like it may finally offer competition, we'll see.

Ultimately, however, quality will only rise if sales tank due to poor quality, and that hasn't happened.

 

[Pourboire]

The bottom line is that Jeep's build quality continues to be horrific because there is no need for Jeep to improve.

Wranglers still sell well and in great numbers, so all improving quality would do is reduce Jeep's profit margin.

Sure, it drives many away from the brand, but there are lots more buyers coming in seduced by the brand image who don't know how bad they can be, coupled with lots of enthusiasts who seem to have no issues with build quality because… it's a Jeep.

I remember when the TJ was released and Jeep literally wasn't completely painting the wheel wells, you could see where the paint would just stop, and the typical comment online was "Geez, just buy a rattle can of spray paint and fix it, you don't deserve to own a Jeep." for what was then a $25K vehicle.

With Rubicons regularly breaking $50K, the attitudes haven't changed.

Basically, Jeep is Jeep, and the biggest question is what would happen if there were ever a truly competitive vehicle in the market. The FJ Cruiser did siphon off some sales when it was available, which is why they have stopped depreciating. The new Bronco looks like it may finally offer competition, we'll see.

Ultimately, however, quality will only rise if sales tank due to poor quality, and that hasn't happened.

COBill. Well put summation, I was fortunate with my 2018 which I ordered, but having owned many new and used jeeps I can attest to their poor quality and inept service. On the bright side, there is a culture which believe, and its true, that the jeep has no competition at this juncture. Which translate, to low depreciation over the years. Just look at old, high mileage prices for old model years. It's even hard to find any on the market.

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