Is the JL the worst Jeep ever?

[rickinAZ]

They certified that it was pre-owned. That's it. You probably bought someone else's problem.

I agree. I always buy new, and of course I eat the 1st year depreciation (which is mercifully light with a Wrangler), but I never worry about the car's history. There are definite upsides to buying used, but there are risks as well.

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[Adam 4248]

Wow! 11 weeks is worse than me. I'm at 8 weeks (and with no idea what's wrong with it yet). Do they know what's wrong with yours?

At about 13 k miles, my 8 speed auto trans ate itself, metal shavings in the pan. They installed a new trans but the shift points suck. Also both batteries went out while it was in their custody. They replaced them and that didn’t fix it, they replaced the ESS harness and that didn’t fix it. They finally did fix everything but it drives/shifts like a minivan; goes into second at about 4 mph. It is now getting corrosion around the door & hood hinges, but Im in the lemon law process and haven’t bothered to mention it to them. I don’t trust it and haven’t driven it at all, in several months. I started it today and was surprised it started because it was 29 degrees out. Before this I really liked the Jeep and was going to get one for my son, but that ship sailed...

 

[aeonixx1001]

Dealership just called - they want to undo the transaction. They are unwilling to pay me for the lift and wheels I put on. I'd be out $4000 for owning the Jeep for one week. I suspect something VERY FISHY is going on.
I already discovered that they sold me the car as Certified Pre-Owned but lied in the ad and it was NOT Certified Pre-owned. I suspect this is why they have been stalling the whole way through.
I don't want to lose $4K and I want my Jeep back, fixed.
What do you think I should do?

Contact States attorney general and file a complaint. Call FCA and tell them you want to start arbitration immediately. Then call the dealership and tell them what you have done and that you have retained a lawyer and you will begin the lawsuit immediately if you are not fully compensated for your time effort and loss of use of a primary vehicle. This is a no brainer. Any Judge in the country would ensure you are compensated and repaid fully.

 

[rickinAZ]

Dealership just called - they want to undo the transaction. They are unwilling to pay me for the lift and wheels I put on. I'd be out $4000 for owning the Jeep for one week. I suspect something VERY FISHY is going on.
I already discovered that they sold me the car as Certified Pre-Owned but lied in the ad and it was NOT Certified Pre-owned. I suspect this is why they have been stalling the whole way through.
I don't want to lose $4K and I want my Jeep back, fixed.
What do you think I should do?

Your situation is unfortunate, but expecting them to reimburse for modifications will be an uphill climb.

To answer your original question: I had a 3.8 liter JK, and while reliable, that minivan motor put it in strong contention for the worst Wrangler (if not Jeep) ever. Pull two plug wires on your Pentastar JL and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Ronnie772]

At this point they have asked for another two weeks to fix it for me and will continue paying for the rental car. That's what I'm going to go with and hope they don't try to pull more shenanigans.

Apparently they will be changing the body wiring harness, which is a significant job.

 

[JEEPIDON]

This is my first post here. It's my first post because I've not had much time with my JL.

Within a week of buying a certified pre-owned 2018 Sahara it died. I was driving down the highway when all power was lost, the dash started displaying every possible malfunction warning and I barely made it to the side of the interstate where I sat with my wife and 2-year-old son without even my 4-way emergency flashers working! It was an incredibly scary and dangerous experience.

I had it towed back to the dealership from where I purchased it and it's been there since. That was 6 weeks ago!!! Since then it has sat at the dealership, leaving me with nothing but frustration and a car payment.

Initially the tech thought it was a body control module, after replacing that didn't work, they said it required an ignition control module to pair with the new BCM. After that didn't work they told me the replacement BCM was defective and they needed to swap it again. After that didn't work they said it could be a wiring harness, but it turned out to not be that either.

When the shop threw up their hands, they opened what's called a "Star Case". That entails the local technician emailing an engineer at FCA who responds within 24-48 hours. The local technician will try the step suggested by the engineer, email the result back, and within another 24-48 hours will get the next step. The technician will then try turning the screw the other way and 24-48 hours later will come the next suggestion. That went on for a couple of weeks, when they apparently escalated it to a "Level 2" engineer for more back and forth.

The local technician tells me he barely touches my car. He gets a response every day or two, does what it says, reports back, and then waits another day or two for the next response. He's in the same position as he's been for more than a month, not even knowing what's wrong with the car, and this tedious process FCA has for diagnosing problems with their vehicles has taken me from regretting my decision to outright hating the Jeep brand.

In addition to the "Star Case" the service department opened, I called FCA and got assigned a Case Manager who I follow up with every few days but who hasn't really been able to do much in moving the process along.

Notably, before this one I had a 2014 JKU, immediately before that a 2007 JKU and a couple decades ago I had a TJ. I have been very loyal to Jeep, so it really pains me that the latest iteration of the Wrangler is anything but the durable and reliable car I expected and is instead such a complicated mess that even their own technicians can't fix them.

I'm reaching out to the community to ask what more I can possibly do and to see if you agree that the JL is the worst Jeep ever.

People are always willing to point out FCA issues but are you aware that the 2020 Ford Explorer (Exploder) has already had 10 recalls and the Lincoln Aviator has had 6???

Everyone has the same issues.

 

[JEEPIDON]

Your situation is unfortunate, but expecting them to reimburse for modifications will be an uphill climb.

To answer your original question: I had a 3.8 liter JK, and while reliable, that minivan motor put it in strong contention for the worst Wrangler (if not Jeep) ever. Pull two plug wires on your Pentastar JL and you'll see what I mean.

The 3.8L has it's challenges, no doubt. I bought a 2008 which had a lifetime powertrain warranty to the original owner and although an oil burner (500 miles to the quart), it's as quiet as a sewing machine, always reliable and at 239,000 it runs (no power ever) like the day I brought it home. Transmission, rear ends, electrical all solid. Other than gutless and handles like a normal JK, I have other legitimate complaints.

 

[SpeedKills]

The 3.8L has it's challenges, no doubt. I bought a 2008 which had a lifetime powertrain warranty to the original owner and although an oil burner (500 miles to the quart), it's as quiet as a sewing machine, always reliable and at 239,000 it runs (no power ever) like the day I brought it home. Transmission, rear ends, electrical all solid. Other than gutless and handles like a normal JK, I have other legitimate complaints.

I switched to 5W30 in my son's JK with 116k. Oklahoma consumption went from 1 quart per 1,000 miles to a half quart per oil 3,000 miles. I've read the non-USA versions ahipped with 5W30 but can't confirm.

 

[JEEPIDON]

I switched to 5W30 in my son's JK with 116k. Oklahoma consumption went from 1 quart per 1,000 miles to a half quart per oil 3,000 miles. I've read the non-USA versions ahipped with 5W30 but can't confirm.

Thanks! I've tried 40 weight and 50 weight in the summer...same oil consumption. I never see blue smoke, no leaks from anything and it mysteriously disappears. As long as it runs on demand....I can live with it. It's been trouble free other than that, one of the toughest SOB's I've ever owned. Although my 2003 Rubicon was probably still my favorite!

 

[Ronnie772]

I have great news to report!!! I got my Jeep back today!!!
Apparently there was a short in some harness that caused issues with several modules. Once it got into the hands of someone that knew what they were doing, it was able to be fixed. Now I hope to update with only good things.

Thanks to all who have offered guidance and support through this 2 month process!

 

[#1 for me]

I have great news to report!!! I got my Jeep back today!!!
Apparently there was a short in some harness that caused issues with several modules. Once it got into the hands of someone that knew what they were doing, it was able to be fixed. Now I hope to update with only good things.

Thanks to all who have offered guidance and support through this 2 month process!

Great to hear !

 

[Morris4x4]

I have great news to report!!! I got my Jeep back today!!!
Apparently there was a short in some harness that caused issues with several modules. Once it got into the hands of someone that knew what they were doing, it was able to be fixed. Now I hope to update with only good things.

Thanks to all who have offered guidance and support through this 2 month process!

Keep us posted after a few cruises!

-Julia

 

[#1 for me]

Keep us posted after a few cruises!

-Julia

I purchased a Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer from Morris a while back. Wish I would known members got 10% off then .

 

[Morris4x4]

I purchased a Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer from Morris a while back. Wish I would known members got 10% off then .

Gah shoot sorry! Now you know at least. Also, check the "deals" tab on the main page for the latest promos (I also throw out a few posts giving the scoop).

-Julia

 

[Abend]

I have great news to report!!! I got my Jeep back today!!!
Apparently there was a short in some harness that caused issues with several modules. Once it got into the hands of someone that knew what they were doing, it was able to be fixed. Now I hope to update with only good things.

Thanks to all who have offered guidance and support through this 2 month process!

That’s awesome. Who ended up fixing it?

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