Minor issues growing in frequency

[aldo98229]

My 2018 JLU Sahara is fully loaded and has 6,400 miles: last December I added a 2-inch Mopar lift and 35-inch tires. I mounted a winch over the weekend; haven’t hooked up the electrical yet.

The Jeep has been mostly trouble-free. But for the past 10 days it’s been having minor electronic gremlins: CEL, TPMS, ESS warning lights all came on, at different times, and eventually disappeared on their own; backup lines disappeared and later reappeared, twice. Over the past month, four or five times the Selec-Trac electronic shifter came out of full-time 4WD and got into part-time 4H on its own, I was backing up every time. I had to disengage the transfer case in the middle of the parking lot and re-engage into full-time 4WD.

I checked the fuses; everything is seated properly.

None of this is severe or long-lasting enough for the dealer to take seriously and want to lift a finger, but still doesn’t give me confidence. Besides, given how bad the only Jeep dealer in town is, I would be wasting my time. Every time I start the Jeep I feel like I’m spinning the Wheel of Fortune.

The used market being what it is right now, I looked into selling the Jeep a few weeks back...but ultimately decided to keep it. I am now growing increasingly tempted to take the money and run.

I wouldn’t know what else to get, though. I want a Wrangler in my garage. I’d have to pay through the nose for a new one, and there’s no guarantees it will have fewer issues; I am seeing too many posts by 2021 JL owners having miscellaneous problems. FCA appears to be rolling them off the line with little quality control these days.

Thoughts?

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[sourdough]

IMHO, Take the money and run to a Ford Bronco. Might very well be a better 4 door SUV.

 

[WXman]

IMHO, Take the money and run to a Ford Bronco. Might very well be a better 4 door SUV.

I don't know. Ford has a horrible track record since the new leadership came in about a decade ago. And the Bronco will be their first convertible 4x4 since the early 1990s. It's almost guaranteed to be plagued with issues and bugs when/if they ever finally get it to market.

 

[XJfanatic]

Have you looked at and tested your aux battery? From the forums it looks like they can cause all sorts of electrical issues when they go. Also double tap to make sure your fuses are seated. Mine started doing some weird stuff this past weekend with 31500 on it, I had never once looked at the fuses or battery cables. Checked them and every fuse and relay was loose, battery ground was just sitting over the terminal not tightened at all. I honestly have no idea how the Jeep had been running for the past 4K I have owned it.

 

[aldo98229]

Yeah. To me going to Ford would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Besides, I find Ford interiors and choice of materials depressing.

 

[aldo98229]

Have you looked at and tested your aux battery? From the forums it looks like they can cause all sorts of electrical issues when they go. Also double tap to make sure your fuses are seated. Mine started doing some weird stuff this past weekend with 31500 on it, I had never once looked at the fuses or battery cables. Checked them and every fuse and relay was loose, battery ground was just sitting over the terminal not tightened at all. I honestly have no idea how the Jeep had been running for the past 4K I have owned it.

I have checked the fuses and battery terminals.

Good point about the auxiliary battery; perhaps it is in its last leg.

 

[sourdough]

I am not a brand loyalist. The fact that a Bronco's reliability is unknown does not bother me. Hell I bought a Wrangler even with all the reported issues of which my JLR has none, LOL. If my Wrangler had issues the warranty couldn't resolve, I would sell in in a heartbeat.

 

[mwilk012]

Have you pulled the codes? Get someone who isn't an idiot to look into it. Dealerships are worthless, Autozone is worse.

You need to drive more. Problems are likely battery or mouse related.

 

[Mike921921]

If it's not something simple like the Aux Battery, then take the money and run, seems like the market is good now to get out of it.

 

[aldo98229]

Yeah, but the problem is what do I get next?

I’d like to stick to something that is 4WD and body on frame.

I love Wranglers, but I don’t trust my dealer, or FCA for that matter. And Ford is no different.

Toyota probably has the best dealership in town, but I ain’t buying another Tacoma. That V6 and automatic transmission are atrocious.

Perhaps it is time to give GM a try. My brother hasn’t had any problems with his 2015 GMC Canyon in six years.

First I need to exhaust this line of inquiry that the auxiliary battery isn’t causing the issues. Would hate to give up a nice Jeep over something that ends up being so trivial.

 

[mwilk012]

Pull the codes....a simple scanner can’t get the codes from the body modules.

 

[DaltonGang]

It's a JL Jeep thing. Welcome to the club.

 

[Strommen95]

You have a Jeep that's 3 years old and not used much.. Almost certainly the Auxillary battery is going.

 

[FWB FL]

You have a Jeep that's 3 years old and not used much.. Almost certainly the Auxillary battery is going.

It will be that battery, I have had 2 go bad in 3 years. Boy things go crazy when it happens.

 

[TravisRogers]

If it makes you feel better, we just bought a new Toyota Highlander Platinum that is absolutely plagued with issues and some massive design flaws. It either takes two visits and a fight to be addressed or everything “performs as designed.” Or they just replace stuff and call it done without actually seeing if the problem is fixed.

Had a Mercedes. Same story.”Could not replicate the issue (any of them) but we recommend spending $1,800 on rotors.”

Ford Transit Connect. Transmission failed at 10,000 miles and the AC at 18,000.

I think all cars suck right now but worse is the lack of dealership support. Manufacturers have systematized the process so much that there is no room for critical thinking or problem solving. Every issue requires three visits and a fight. And, frankly, the reason the dealership techs don’t know anything about your car is because they haven’t had a reason to learn anything about your car. Find an independent specialist and build a relationship and you’ll love your car 100% more. With a Wrangler, those specialty guys are easier to find.

Just my thoughts.

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