Rear rotational knock from differential at low speeds.

[JeepCares]

@JeepCares how do I go about opening a case. I have 35 inch tires but I believe my noise is not related to my tires or lift, but rather the same issue that people are having here. If FCA is replacing rear axles, id like to not be left out simply because of my tires.

Hello jerrygcoffey,

If you would like your concerns documented and or escalated please send us a private message explaining what you are experiencing.

Lamar
JeepCares

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[DogDay]

I'm going to add to the list. I am experiencing the same issue with my 2019 Unlimited Rubicon.

I've been to the dealer three times over the issue. The service advisor and service manager both heard it as I drove them around the lot.

On the second visit they replaced the entire rear axle. On the third trip, because the sound was still there, they told me they couldn't do anything further until the sound became more prominent.

I think the dealership really worked with me, but they are at a point where the sound is difficult to reproduce.

I now believe that if replacing the rear axle solves the problem, then I received a faulty replacement.

Once the dealer threw up their hands, so did Jeep Customer Care.

Very sad and I'm working up the patience to write to the CEO.

Jeep Case #71760336

 

[BJG]

I'm going to add to the list. I am experiencing the same issue with my 2019 Unlimited Rubicon.

I've been to the dealer three times over the issue. The service advisor and service manager both heard it as I drove them around the lot.

On the second visit they replaced the entire rear axle. On the third trip, because the sound was still there, they told me they couldn't do anything further until the sound became more prominent.

I think the dealership really worked with me, but they are at a point where the sound is difficult to reproduce.

I now believe that if replacing the rear axle solves the problem, then I received a faulty replacement.

Once the dealer threw up their hands, so did Jeep Customer Care.

Very sad and I'm working up the patience to write to the CEO.

Jeep Case #71760336

By any chance can you get some audio of your sound? It is very strange that you are experiencing this with a locking rear end.

The Rubicon rear ends don't have clutch packs, which seems to be one of the main causes of the troubles. The Rubicon is open or locked, obviously.

 

[DogDay]

By any chance can you get some audio of your sound? It is very strange that you are experiencing this with a locking rear end.

The Rubicon rear ends don't have clutch packs, which seems to be one of the main causes of the troubles. The Rubicon is open or locked, obviously.

This is audio of my jeep:
https://imgur.com/sPDweSe

I took the Jeep and the audio to the dealer yesterday and the service manager and two mechanics, including the head mechanic, seem to agree that it is a normal sound. They also put another similar rubicon on the rack and spun its wheels and it produced the exact same sound.

They claim it is the locker that has this free-play to move around. I don't know, I can't argue with them much when they've been very willing to help (replaced the entire axle, and put mine and another on a lift to show similar sound), and never charged me for wasted time.

I can only imagine there must be some differences in which rear axle you get. I believe there are variances in what Jeep puts in them based on the engine and if it gets manual or automatic, or eTorque. etc. But, I am not that knowledgable here, so will have to defer to experts until the thing breaks.

 

[Arterius2]

This is audio of my jeep:
https://imgur.com/sPDweSe

I took the Jeep and the audio to the dealer yesterday and the service manager and two mechanics, including the head mechanic, seem to agree that it is a normal sound. They also put another similar rubicon on the rack and spun its wheels and it produced the exact same sound.

They claim it is the locker that has this free-play to move around. I don't know, I can't argue with them much when they've been very willing to help (replaced the entire axle, and put mine and another on a lift to show similar sound), and never charged me for wasted time.

I can only imagine there must be some differences in which rear axle you get. I believe there are variances in what Jeep puts in them based on the engine and if it gets manual or automatic, or eTorque. etc. But, I am not that knowledgable here, so will have to defer to experts until the thing breaks.

Yikes! Does not sound normal at all, sounds exactly like the one of the previous poster here that got his entire axle replaced and noise went away.

 

[BJG]

This is audio of my jeep:
https://imgur.com/sPDweSe

I took the Jeep and the audio to the dealer yesterday and the service manager and two mechanics, including the head mechanic, seem to agree that it is a normal sound. They also put another similar rubicon on the rack and spun its wheels and it produced the exact same sound.

They claim it is the locker that has this free-play to move around. I don't know, I can't argue with them much when they've been very willing to help (replaced the entire axle, and put mine and another on a lift to show similar sound), and never charged me for wasted time.

I can only imagine there must be some differences in which rear axle you get. I believe there are variances in what Jeep puts in them based on the engine and if it gets manual or automatic, or eTorque. etc. But, I am not that knowledgable here, so will have to defer to experts until the thing breaks.

But to clarify, do you hear any weird sounds or clunking while you are driving? I have seen quite a few Jeeps that make this sound when rotating the wheels independently, but the real plague for me is a super frustrating clunking around 20 MPH while driving.

 

[DogDay]

But to clarify, do you hear any weird sounds or clunking while you are driving? I have seen quite a few Jeeps that make this sound when rotating the wheels independently, but the real plague for me is a super frustrating clunking around 20 MPH while driving.

Hard to tell while driving due to other ambient noise, but I believe I am hearing it become a low, fluid rumble while I'm driving at higher speeds. But maybe I am just imagining that.

I wish we could get an actual Jeep engineer to comment on this and put it to bed.

 

[DogDay]

Yikes! Does not sound normal at all, sounds exactly like the one of the previous poster here that got his entire axle replaced and noise went away.

I had my entire axle replaced, too and it did not resolve the problem for me. So that isn't the solution, or there are a large number of faulty axles in stock, or something else in the drive train is causing them to fail once installed.

 

[BJG]

I had my entire axle replaced, too and it did not resolve the problem for me. So that isn't the solution, or there are a large number of faulty axles in stock, or something else in the drive train is causing them to fail once installed.

Funny. To your previous comment, I'm actually a mechanical engineer. Master's Degree and practicing 15 years.

But this comment you made is the exact reason I won't take my jeep to a dealer yet. Too many people are getting replacement parts and seeing the issue come back.

I personally think that many of us are dealing with different sounds, different issues, different sources of different problems. Maybe the root cause is common. At this point I'm just talking to people and researching because I don't want to put my jeep under the knife for no reason.

My clunking sound is very prominent, but I cannot replicate it on jack stands. I actually tried again yesterday in 2WD, 4H and 4L. It seems like either the load must be on the actual Bearings or a differential speed between the wheels needs to be created. This could even be from variations in tire diameter due to air pressure differences or simply the tires not being perfectly identical; which they never will be.

My bigger plan, if I can find a shop to work with me is to get the jeep on a dynamometer. Get under there (somewhat), to find the exact place where the noise is coming from.

 

[DogDay]

Funny. To your previous comment, I'm actually a mechanical engineer. Master's Degree and practicing 15 years.

But this comment you made is the exact reason I won't take my jeep to a dealer yet. Too many people are getting replacement parts and seeing the issue come back.

I personally think that many of us are dealing with different sounds, different issues, different sources of different problems. Maybe the root cause is common. At this point I'm just talking to people and researching because I don't want to put my jeep under the knife for no reason.

My clunking sound is very prominent, but I cannot replicate it on jack stands. I actually tried again yesterday in 2WD, 4H and 4L. It seems like either the load must be on the actual Bearings or a differential speed between the wheels needs to be created. This could even be from variations in tire diameter due to air pressure differences or simply the tires not being perfectly identical; which they never will be.

My bigger plan, if I can find a shop to work with me is to get the jeep on a dynamometer. Get under there (somewhat), to find the exact place where the noise is coming from.

Here's how I tested mine, for your data:

• Floor jack (spun wheel, heard sound while in Park and engine OFF)
• Floor jack (spun wheel, heard sound while in Neutral and engine OFF)
• Floor jack (spun wheel, heard sound while in Neutral and engine ON)

Replicated this at the dealership but on a lift. Seems odd you should be able to spin the wheels in Park, but alas.

Also, my configuration from the sticker:

• 2019 2.0–Liter I4 DOHC DI Turbo eTorque Engine
• 4:1 Rock–Trac HD Part Time 4WD System
• Tru–Lok Front and Rear Axles
• 4.10 Axle Gear Ratio
• 3rd Generation Dana® 44 HD Wide Front Axle
• 3rd Generation Dana® 44 HD Wide Rear Axle

A common repository for this type of data would be nice if we thought we could get the the NHTSA interested.

I mentioned my parts because I've noticed different rear axles on some other Rubicons; likely because of different engines or no eTorque.

For example: a 2020 Rubicon Unlimited I just spied on autotrader.com

• 2.0L I4 DOHC DI Turbo Engine w/ ESS (no eTorque)
• 4:1 Rock–Trac® Heavy–Duty Part–Time 4WD System
  
• Dana M210 Wide Front Axle
• Dana M220 Wide Rear Axle

 

[redsyphon]

Adding to this list as well.

My 2018 JLU Sport (manual) w/rear d44 has had this noise for over a year. Multiple dealer trips with each one claiming they were not able to hear or reproduce. Even when providing dealer with good video & audio, not a single one has offered to investigate further.

My local dealer even told me to just "drive it until the rear end breaks. It's under warranty, so don't worry about it". I asked him what happens when the rear diff explodes on the interstate at 65+ mph?... of course there was silence after that.

 

[JeepCares]

Adding to this list as well.

My 2018 JLU Sport (manual) w/rear d44 has had this noise for over a year. Multiple dealer trips with each one claiming they were not able to hear or reproduce. Even when providing dealer with good video & audio, not a single one has offered to investigate further.

My local dealer even told me to just "drive it until the rear end breaks. It's under warranty, so don't worry about it". I asked him what happens when the rear diff explodes on the interstate at 65+ mph?... of course there was silence after that.

@redsyphon,
Thanks for informing us on this concern. If you would like our additional assistance when working with your dealer, feel free to send us a private message with your VIN- our team would love to look into this for you.

Kathryn
JeepCares

 

[redsyphon]

@redsyphon,
Thanks for informing us on this concern. If you would like our additional assistance when working with your dealer, feel free to send us a private message with your VIN- our team would love to look into this for you.

Kathryn
JeepCares

Thank You Kathryn,
PM Sent and working with @JeepCares team (currently Darlene).

 

[JeepCares]

Thank You Kathryn,
PM Sent and working with @JeepCares team (currently Darlene).

Thanks for the update! Please continue to work with Darlene in PMs to avoid any missed communication.

Kathryn
JeepCares

 

[JeepersCreepers2]

Here is my noise. Most of the time when I let off of the accelerator around 20 MPH.

I recorded this near my back seat floor board.

Just rolled over 11K in my 2018 Sport S with rear Dana 44 and this sound has suddenly popped up. Its odd because it sounds and feels like its coming from the front axle on mine but the sound clip attached is spot on. Appt on Monday at the dealership. You can bet your @$$ that I will be referencing all the info in this thread to help them diagnose the issue. I don't want to go through trying X,Y and Z only to have the whole axle replaced anyway

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