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I got a lemon JL?

Rustydog

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I know there is a huge ESS thread out there that I haven't had time to read through, but since we are talking about the JL ESS battery setup.
Is the small ESS battery just to power the electronics of the vehicle while it is sitting idle when ESS is activated like at a stop light? And the larger main battery is doing all the starting? To that, if the main battery dead will the ESS battery start the engine?
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jjjstc

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I put 600 miles on this vehicle in 12 days after purchase, no battery issue.
Then, I drove it to Yellowstone, 2600 miles in 7 days. No battery issue.
The second day I was back from Yellowstone, all issues came out.
 
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jjjstc

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visited the dealership this morning, they found both batteries with low voltage. They are charging the batteries, and will test driving the vehicle late today. No idea what caused the low voltage of the batteries.
 

viper88

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I just let mine sit over a week and it was fine. All my fuses were loose when I got the Jeep and I pushed them all down, wonder if loose connections are contributing. The electronic assembly quality hasn't been great on these. For your sake, I hope it something as simple as some loose connections.

And lemon laws are a pain in the ass, at least in my state. I was surprised to see forum members say they had theirs bought back by FCA. IMO, this tells me FCA has incredible customer service, because other companies don't care at all. I had a Nissan that was on its third engine in the year I owned it, weeks of service time. And instead of any compassion or understanding that my brand new car was broken more than my old car, I was accused of doing something to the engine... thanks to that, I'll never buy another Nissan lol.
I don't know about this? lol. I think it really is luck of the draw. Get someone on a good day and your good. Get a lazy dog and not so good. lol.
 

viper88

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Battery’s are outsourced. Vehicles sit on the lot for sometimes a year before being sold. This is awful on batteries. Dealer jumps them off to sell it to you and then you have electrical problems in a few weeks when the battery isn’t charging properly or you have dead cells. Ofcourse batteries can be defective right out of their factory.
I know someone who works at the factory. A very reliable source. Bad batteries and charging systems are their #1 problem for warranty. Engineers told him 400 out of every 1000 warranty claims are battery/ charge related. Both ESS and main battery. All kinds of issues can pop up from bad batteries and charging systems. I'd definitely order the tow kit with heavy duty alternator if I ordered a 3.6.

It's never good if a dealer has to jump a battery for a car that has been on the loft for months. It's very likely cars that have been on lots a long time will have compromised batteries. Like you said, that might start the engine with a jump, but cells might be bad. Cars with ESS have double the odds for potential bad batteries.

At the end of the day it's FCA who is responsible. FCA provided all the specification and requirements, signed the contracts, for all of the outsourced parts including batteries. Some car companies have requirements for dealers to check and charge batteries in cars that are in inventory. They have to fill out a log stating voltage and charging dates for battery warranties to be valid. GM has requirements for Vettes. Mazda has them also for Miata's. It's up to each dealer to comply.
 
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JeepJLBase

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Because there's literally millions of parts at the factory and % wise some are bound to be defective. If it is battery issues which sounds like it is it likely has nothing to do with the factory anyways.
Battery’s are outsourced. Vehicles sit on the lot for sometimes a year before being sold. This is awful on batteries. Dealer jumps them off to sell it to you and then you have electrical problems in a few weeks when the battery isn’t charging properly or you have dead cells. Ofcourse batteries can be defective right out of their factory.
That’s an excuse. Every Jeep is impacted by this. Is there language in the manual that mentions that the vehicle should be driven daily to prevent a battery problem?
Jeep should have the dealers checking the batteries once received to avoid this. It’s a common problem.
 

Strommen95

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That’s an excuse. Every Jeep is impacted by this. Is there language in the manual that mentions that the vehicle should be driven daily to prevent a battery problem?
Jeep should have the dealers checking the batteries once received to avoid this. It’s a common problem.
It's not an excuse it's simply reality. If you don't understand that a certain % of mass produced products will be defective you're irrational. Despite what Jeep haters suggest on here simple battery issues like this are not exclusive to Jeep or any brand.
 

four low

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Would it be a simple solution to require the Dealer to fully charge the batteries prior to sale, and have a Charging Schedule for vehicles on the lot ?
 

Pingbling23

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It's not an excuse it's simply reality. If you don't understand that a certain % of mass produced products will be defective you're irrational. Despite what Jeep haters suggest on here simple battery issues like this are not exclusive to Jeep or any brand.
exactly, we got 2 new batteries in the first 2 years of owning our 2012 explorer. they were having battery issues to. they fixed it no problem.
 

Pingbling23

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Would it be a simple solution to require the Dealer to fully charge the batteries prior to sale, and have a Charging Schedule for vehicles on the lot ?
dealers cant even find vehicles on their lot thats in their inventory sometimes lol. but yes it would be good for them to do that. its a lot more time and money to do those things. its probably easier for them to just warranty fix anyone that has issues after the sale.
 

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jjjstc

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exactly, we got 2 new batteries in the first 2 years of owning our 2012 explorer. they were having battery issues to. they fixed it no problem.
I replaced the battery in my 2014 JK 3 times in 2015/2017/2019
 
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jjjstc

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UPDATE: got a phone call from dealership saying the generator needs to be replaced
 

viper88

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UPDATE: got a phone call from dealership saying the generator needs to be replaced
Great that the dealer diagnosed the problem. Hopefully the parts are available and you get back on the road soon!
 
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jjjstc

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UPDATE: dealer replaced the generator. However, they still could not figure out the power steering issue.
 

NelsonB

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I have a 2018 JLU that had somewhat similar problems (electrical). The instrument cluster would start going nuts - throwing dozens of codes. I first had it in to my Jeep dealer 3 times. Once they thought they had found the issue - a crushed electrical connector in the transmission. Then it happened again; this time (while driving on a secondary highway) the power steering went out and the transmission shifted to 1st gear and wouldn't upshift (cluster going beserk/warnings, etc.). I pulled off the highway, shut the motor off; waited a few minutes and started it...all was again ok. I got it home and immediately called the dealer. This 4th time they kept it for 8 days and found a bad connection under the instrument cluster. They fixed that and it's been about 6 months without any more issues. I think they fixed it this time, but I wonder and still feel a little uneasy as the power steering and transmission issues could have been really bad. In defense of the mechanics, these electrical issues are almost impossible to replicate in the shop. Good luck with yours!
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