Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||||
| RRT-08-070 | 09/29/2008 | 10026829 | Chrysler: lower control arm to crossmember mounting bolts. vehicles were shipped with front lower control arm to crossmember mounting bolts that may not be tightened to specification. *pe | 12/22/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 10/04/2011 | 21000 | 1 | |
| At less than 370000 miles, (just out of warranty) i noticed a clunking and rattling noise from the front driver side of my 2009 jeep patriot. after a few days it spread to the passenger side front. when taking off or braking, especially around 5-10 mph, the clunking is really loud. i drove to chrysler in wiesbaden, germany, and informed them that i believe it was a lower ball joint making the noise on both sides. later they called me and said i was right, and they do not do ball joint repair, they replace the control arm. makes sense, i am a mechanic, sae certified, working at a repair facility. the customer service manager also said i needed a cv boot on the passenger side. cost of a control arm (part only-600 euro!!. cost of a cv boot, just a piece of rubber, 201 euro. parts only. total cost with parts and labor would have been 1,060 euro, about 1200 us dollars for one side only. i did not allow them to rob me, so i ordered both sides, control arms, cv boots, inner and outer tie rods complete. i installed them with the help of my supervisor using manufacturer's data to torque all bolts and nuts. parts used were chrysler usa parts. the replacement parts started making the same noises the same day. chrysler needs to recall these cars and manufacture a fitting part. the material is too cheap for such a heavy car. so, no warranty, no recall (nobody died yet!) and no cooperation from chrysler. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2012 | 12000 | ||
| Left and right ball joints/control arm inspected by dealer technician during routine tire rotation, and found to be worn out and at risk of failing. parts replaced by dealer while still under 3-year warranty. | |||
| 05/17/2012 | 37325 | ||
| With a low mileage of 37,325, both original front ball joints needed to be replaced. majority of the accumulated mileage is highway driving and there is only one driver. after gradually noticing a rocky ride, i made a mechanic's appointment for a diagnosis of the problem. the experienced mechanics diagnosed the ball joint defect. the mechanic called the jeep dealership to price jeep parts and was told two complete arms would have to be purchased to complete the ball joint repair. the condition of the broken ball joints showed excessive play. this is my second jeep vehicle; the first vehicle was a jeep cherokee 4x4 that did not have this problem with low mileage. | |||