Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | ||||||
| PE09037 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 08/12/2009 | 11/17/2009 | TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING / FIRE | 09V436000 | |
| In a letter dated november 3, 2009, chrysler group llc (chrysler), notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall of approximately 161,000 model year (my) 2007 and 2008 jeep wrangler vehicles built with automatic transmissions.chrysler stated that these vehicles were not equipped with a transmission fluid temperature warning system and the operation of these vehicles beyond the limits of reasonable usage over a period of time could result in transmission failure and in some cases transmission fluid expulsion.the expelled fluid could come in contact with a hot engine or exhaust component and cause a fire.chrysler will conduct a safety recall to install a hot oil warning message in the instrument cluster and a chime indicating an elevated transmission fluid temperature condition.an owner's manual addendum stating the purpose of the hot oil message and chime to include caution and warning statements regarding elevated transmission fluid temperature conditions will be provided to owners.based on chrysler's decision to conduct a safety recall this engineering analysis is closed. | ||||||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| PE09037 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 08/12/2009 | 11/17/2009 | TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING / FIRE | 09V436000 | |
| In a letter dated november 3, 2009, chrysler group llc (chrysler), notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall of approximately 161,000 model year (my) 2007 and 2008 jeep wrangler vehicles built with automatic transmissions.chrysler stated that these vehicles were not equipped with a transmission fluid temperature warning system and the operation of these vehicles beyond the limits of reasonable usage over a period of time could result in transmission failure and in some cases transmission fluid expulsion.the expelled fluid could come in contact with a hot engine or exhaust component and cause a fire.chrysler will conduct a safety recall to install a hot oil warning message in the instrument cluster and a chime indicating an elevated transmission fluid temperature condition.an owner's manual addendum stating the purpose of the hot oil message and chime to include caution and warning statements regarding elevated transmission fluid temperature conditions will be provided to owners.based on chrysler's decision to conduct a safety recall this engineering analysis is closed. | ||||||
| PE07027 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 05/29/2007 | 08/02/2007 | ENGINE STALLING & ELECTRIC POWER LOSS | 07V291000 | |
| On july 3, 2007, daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) submitted a defect information report to nhtsa describing a defect that could result in engine stall while driving in approximately 80,894 model year (my) 2007 jeep wrangler and dodge nitro vehicles manufactured between january 30, 2006 and january 22, 2007 (nhtsa recall 07v-291, dcc recall g25).according to dcc, the totally integrated power module (tipm) in these vehicles was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall under certain conditions.dcc will reprogram the tipm in the recalled vehicles with revised software. odi opened pe07-027 on may 29, 2007, based on 53 complaints alleging engine stall and/or loss of electrical power in my 2007 jeep wrangler vehicles.odi was also monitoring similar complaints in my 2007 dodge nitro vehicles.dcc's analysis of complaints to dcc and nhtsa found that many described events with a momentary loss of electrical power inside the vehicle and a corresponding loss of engine power.many of the reports also indicated that the instrument cluster telltale lamps momentarily illuminated during the event. dcc's engineering analysis determined that the tipm could initiate an internal reset cycle lasting approximately 75 ms in response to error messages on the communication bus.the key on signal from the tipm to the powertrain control module (pcm) is lost during a tipm reset.if the pcm loses the key on signal for longer than 40 ms, it interprets it as the vehicle ignition being turned off and begins a power down routine.after the tipm reset, the key on signal is restored and the pcm powers back up.if the rotating components of the engine contain sufficient inertia, the vehicle may restart with no input from the operator as reported in some of the complaints.if the engine does not restart in this manner, it can be restarted by the operator.a revision to the tipm software on january 22, 2007 changed the tipm reset time to 17 ms, removing the potential for pcm power down and engine stall. odi has received 178 complaints potentially related to the alleged defect in my 2007 jeep wrangler vehicles and 52 complaints involving my 2007 dodge nitro vehicles.two of the nitro complaints allege that a crash resulted from an engine stall incident, one of which caused minor injuries to a passenger.as of june 1, 2007, dcc identified 151 wrangler complaints and 128 nitro complaints. this investigation has been closed with dcc's recall. | ||||||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| PE09037 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 08/12/2009 | 11/17/2009 | TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING / FIRE | 09V436000 | |
| In a letter dated november 3, 2009, chrysler group llc (chrysler), notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall of approximately 161,000 model year (my) 2007 and 2008 jeep wrangler vehicles built with automatic transmissions.chrysler stated that these vehicles were not equipped with a transmission fluid temperature warning system and the operation of these vehicles beyond the limits of reasonable usage over a period of time could result in transmission failure and in some cases transmission fluid expulsion.the expelled fluid could come in contact with a hot engine or exhaust component and cause a fire.chrysler will conduct a safety recall to install a hot oil warning message in the instrument cluster and a chime indicating an elevated transmission fluid temperature condition.an owner's manual addendum stating the purpose of the hot oil message and chime to include caution and warning statements regarding elevated transmission fluid temperature conditions will be provided to owners.based on chrysler's decision to conduct a safety recall this engineering analysis is closed. | ||||||
| PE07027 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 05/29/2007 | 08/02/2007 | ENGINE STALLING & ELECTRIC POWER LOSS | 07V291000 | |
| On july 3, 2007, daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) submitted a defect information report to nhtsa describing a defect that could result in engine stall while driving in approximately 80,894 model year (my) 2007 jeep wrangler and dodge nitro vehicles manufactured between january 30, 2006 and january 22, 2007 (nhtsa recall 07v-291, dcc recall g25).according to dcc, the totally integrated power module (tipm) in these vehicles was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall under certain conditions.dcc will reprogram the tipm in the recalled vehicles with revised software. odi opened pe07-027 on may 29, 2007, based on 53 complaints alleging engine stall and/or loss of electrical power in my 2007 jeep wrangler vehicles.odi was also monitoring similar complaints in my 2007 dodge nitro vehicles.dcc's analysis of complaints to dcc and nhtsa found that many described events with a momentary loss of electrical power inside the vehicle and a corresponding loss of engine power.many of the reports also indicated that the instrument cluster telltale lamps momentarily illuminated during the event. dcc's engineering analysis determined that the tipm could initiate an internal reset cycle lasting approximately 75 ms in response to error messages on the communication bus.the key on signal from the tipm to the powertrain control module (pcm) is lost during a tipm reset.if the pcm loses the key on signal for longer than 40 ms, it interprets it as the vehicle ignition being turned off and begins a power down routine.after the tipm reset, the key on signal is restored and the pcm powers back up.if the rotating components of the engine contain sufficient inertia, the vehicle may restart with no input from the operator as reported in some of the complaints.if the engine does not restart in this manner, it can be restarted by the operator.a revision to the tipm software on january 22, 2007 changed the tipm reset time to 17 ms, removing the potential for pcm power down and engine stall. odi has received 178 complaints potentially related to the alleged defect in my 2007 jeep wrangler vehicles and 52 complaints involving my 2007 dodge nitro vehicles.two of the nitro complaints allege that a crash resulted from an engine stall incident, one of which caused minor injuries to a passenger.as of june 1, 2007, dcc identified 151 wrangler complaints and 128 nitro complaints. this investigation has been closed with dcc's recall. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 02/05/2013 | 60000 | 1 | |
| The automatic shifter linkage pops off and the automatic transmission will not switch gears. this is dangerous. you may think you're in park when you're actually in drive causing the vehicle to move forward unexpectedly. this will cause an accident, vehicle damage and bodily injury. *tr | |||
| 02/05/2013 | 60000 | ||
| The automatic shifter linkage pops off and the automatic transmission will not switch gears. this is dangerous. you may think you're in park when you're actually in drive causing the vehicle to move forward unexpectedly. this will cause an accident, vehicle damage and bodily injury. | |||
| 04/21/2012 | 41000 | 1 | |
| Bought my auto-transmission jeep wrangler unlimited x 2007 (jk) last november, took it to an 4 hour trip (first time long trip) in april. on our way we noticed that the control panel for radio became hot. we stopped a little bit then continued to drive. suddenly there was a hot oil warning light up. we had to stop again and wait for another 2 hours to hit the road. i have never done towing or off-roading or anything - just driving in 2-wheel drive on a high way, why the hot oil light went off? then i did some search and find a lot of wrangler catching fire videos on yutube. and people complaining about hot oil and insufficient transmission cooler. i find that there is a recall for auto-tran 2010 model to install an additional cooler. i also found that the 2011 and 2012 model jeep wrangler auto-tran come with the additional transmission cooler. but how about 2007, 2008 and 2009 model? the problem is endemic to 100% of automatic jks. the risk of fire or transmission damage when using the vehicle in a manner consistent with it's intended use is utterly unacceptable. it is also illegal! *tr | |||
| 04/21/2012 | 41000 | ||
| Bought my auto-transmission jeep wrangler unlimited x 2007 (jk) last november, took it to an 4 hour trip (first time long trip) in april. on our way we noticed that the control panel for radio became hot. we stopped a little bit then then continued to drive. suddenly there was a hot oil warning light up. we had to stop again and wait for another 2 hours to hit the road. i have never done towing or off-roading or anything - just driving in 2-wheel drive on a high way, why the hot oil light went off? then i did some search and find a lot of wrangler catching fire videos on yutube. and people complaining about hot oil and insufficient transmission cooler. i find that there is a recall for auto-tran 2010 model to install an additional cooler. i also found that the 2011 and 2012 model jeep wrangler auto-tran come with the additional transmission cooler. but how about 2007, 2008 and 2009 model? the problem is endemic to 100% of automatic jks. the risk of fire or transmission damage when using the vehicle in a manner consistent with it's intended use is utterly unacceptable. it is also illegal! | |||
| 07/04/2012 | 39000 | 1 | |
| As i was pulling out from a green light, the manual transmission shift lever was violently thrown out of 1st gear into neutral. the gear shift lever actually left a small bruise on my right hand. i contacted the local dealership. and was told that a tsb was out addressing the issue. i was told that the inner shift boot needed to be removed, and/or replaced. i did exactly as they said and removed the inner shift. i did not replace the outer as i wanted to see if this solution worked. it did not. this happens every time any power is applied and the vehicle is in 1st gear. my wife almost caused an accident as she was unaware of this problem. as she pulled into the flow of traffic, the transmission violently shifted in neutral, and she was almost hit from the driver pulling out behind her. *tr | |||
| 07/04/2012 | 39000 | ||
| As i was pulling out from a green light, the manual transmission shift lever was violently thrown out of 1st gear into neutral. the gear shift lever actually left a small bruise on my right hand. i contacted the local dealership. and was told that a tsb was out addressing the issue. i was told that the inner shift boot needed to be removed, and/or replaced. i did exactly as they said and removed the inner shift. i did not replace the outer as i wanted to see if this solution worked. it did not. this happens every time any power is applied and the vehicle is in 1st gear. my wife almost caused an accident as she was unaware of this problem. as she pulled into the flow of traffic, the transmission violently shifted in neutral, and she was almost hit from the driver pulling out behind her. | |||
| 01/19/2012 | 79000 | ||
| Engine oil not registered on dip stick when checked. had to add 3 quarts of oil to get to register to bottom of dip stick. oil has been changed every 3-6k miles since took ownership in 2007. engine light does not come on when oil is low. problem experienced a 2nd time 5/26/2012. checked oil and no engine oil on dipstick. oil was changed/filled on 1/19/2012 (have records from mechanic) and only approximately 5k miles drive in that time and again 3 quarts required to even get oil to register on dip stick and again engine oil light never came on in past 5 months since last oil change. engine appears to be burning through excessive amount of oil with no indication of low oil in vehicle at any time. | |||
| 12/26/2007 | 1200 | ||
| At a complete stop when you stick your jeep in first gear for a manual transmission and go to accelerate, the jeep will make a loud pop/bang sound as the stick pops out of first gear in a violent fashion. i have come close to an accident twice where i was attempting to cross multiple lanes of traffic. it only happens in first gear and it only happens once in a while. jeep won't fix it because they can't replicate it. my jeep is now out of warrenty and they now acknowledge the problem, but want me to pay to have it fixed. this problem is dangerous and will end up killing someone if it hasn't already happened. jeep needs to do a recall on this issue. many people are posting this problem on the internet and jeep is not being upfront about it. | |||
| 10/14/2009 | 52200 | 1 | |
| 1. no incidents leading up to failure of the vehicle being able to drive. 2. this is the 1st occurrence. a local mechanic verified a cylinder was dropped and advised to return to the jeep/chrysler dealership for warranty work. the vehicle is a jeep wrangler x unlimited 4-door 4x4. 3. 2 days later, jeep says there is engine failure when they saw that the vehicle would not accelerate over 30 mph (2 days prior). *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 37000 | ||
| The issue is leaking transmission lines in 2007 - 2012 jeep wranglers equipped with automatic transmissions. the transmission lines that lead from the transmission to the radiator are leaking where the lines change from metal to rubber. according to many people on a www.jkforum.com and other jeep forums on the web, this is a wide spread issue. if someone is not aware of the leak, it could result with all the transmission fluid to leak out and the transmission to over heat. if this happens, the transmission would fail and cost the consumer $1,000's to have repaired. also, if the transmission fluid leak is serious, the transmission fluid could spray onto the exhaust or engine block and catch fire. leaking transmission lines are happening to too many jeep wranglers and it is not fair for all these consumers to pay for these damages. the cost to replace the faulty transmission lines could range between $200 and $300 depending on where you live. and once again...it is not fair for the consumer to even pay this amount to repair something that is happening to so many jeep wranglers from the manufacture years of 2007 - 2012. when i call my dealership to price the transmission lines, they have to order the part because they are sold out. i have also heard that the replacement lines have a new part number (which makes me think they have been redesigned) and are on back order. to view some of the comments made by other jeep owners with this issue, please visit these web forums for further information. http://www.jk-forum.com/archive/index.php/t-78368.html and http://www.jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?p=666261. | |||
| 09/01/2010 | 18000 | ||
| Chryslers recall for the temperature warning addressed the symptom not the problem. the transmissions are still overheating in the wrangler. the solution is a $50 transmission cooler. this can happen both when off roading(which the wrangler is built for) but others in our jeep group have had the situation happen on road. my situation happend while driving on approximately a 20% grade on a dirt road at 20 mph---hot oil light came on and was forced to stop driving to allow cooling---later found out from the jk-forum online jeep group that this is very common and that dealerships are not correcting with transmission cooler...but it is something you can do youself if you have some mechanic skills. the issus is...if you add the cooler chrysler can void you warranty. please look into this as i said their recall under your number 09v436000 addressed the symptom but did not solver the real issue---thank you joe chanin | |||
| 02/05/2010 | 39000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 jeep wrangler 4x4. while driving between 30 and 60 mph on normal road conditions, the transmission shifted from first to second gear without driver intent. the vehicle remained engaged in second gear as he pulled over to the side of the road. the engine was shut off and once restarted the vehicle resumed normal operation. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection; however, the failure could not be duplicated. the failure mileage was 39,000 and the current mileage was unknown. | |||
| 07/23/2007 | 3000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 jeep wrangler. when driving over a bump in the road, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating. the wheels also moved to the left and right which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. the first time the incident occurred, he was able to stop the vehicle and drive it to the dealer. the mechanic replaced the exhaust system and a steering arm damper with an oversized one. the brake lines and transmission were also repaired. the failures recurred continuously after the repairs were made. the dealer has unsuccessfully made 15 attempts to repair the vehicle. the contact has refused to drive the vehicle due to the safety risk involved. the contact has requested that the manufacturer and the dealer allow him to return the vehicle; however, they agree that they are unable to diagnose the failure. the contact is certain that the failure is a manufacturers defect. the failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 55,000. | |||
| 11/08/2007 | 14500 | 1 | 12/23/2006 |
| Rear main oil seal leaking. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 543 | 9 | 04/27/2007 |
| 2007 jeep unlimited 4 door 4x4 purchased new in april, 2007 vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission. within 3 weeks after purchase of vehicle i was proceeding up a hill when the transmission shifted out of gear on its own and into what seemed to be neutral causing the vehicles rpm's to increase from 2000 to over 4000 rpms while the vehicle slowed down. after release of the gas pedal the vehicle went back into gear. the vehicle repeated this in july while pulling a pop-up camper down the interstate going uphill. when the vehicle went to automatically downshift it went into a neutral mode. this almost caused a vehicle behind me to rear end me since i lost power and began to slow without any brake lights coming on. once again the vehicle went back into gear after release of the accelerator. at that time the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair however since the dealer could not create the problem again and no computer codes were stored the dealer could not do any repairs. as time goes by the condition is getting worse however dealer cannot find a way to fix the problem. i am very concerned since the intermittent problem can happen at anytime especially when quick acceleration is needed. *tr | |||
| 06/12/2007 | 3450 | 1 | 03/15/2007 |
| 1: driving at highway speed with 3400 miles on the car. 2: all dashboard lights came on and engine stopped. within a few seconds, the vehicle resumed operation. 3: nothing has been done. i have been researching and waiting for this issue to occur, as it has for many other 2007 jeep wrangler owners. it will be going in to the dealer, but as of late, there is no fix for this issue. | |||
| 05/28/2007 | 10400 | 4 | 01/19/2007 |
| Backing out of parking spaces and turning a corner at very low speeds, caused the esp and bas dash lights to come on and stay on. all the dash lights have come on at speeds of 5 mph while driving in a parking lot, vehicle acted like it was going to stall, but did not turn off. took the jeep in for service, dtc's were scanned dtc stored codes were found, c2205 steering angle sensor internal, c121a, steering angle sensor not initialized. all stored dtc codes were cleared and all modules were checked and new software, abs52059883ae was installed. automatic transmission vibrates between 35-40 mph, dealer could not recreate vibration or find cause. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 02/03/2007 | 2000 | 2 | 12/26/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 jeep wrangler 4x4. while driving at 65 mph the steering locked, instrument panel dimmed, and the vehicle shut off. the vehicle restarted automatically approximately four seconds later. the vehicle was taken to a shop and no failures were found. this morning, while driving 65 mph the failure's recurred. the contact stated that the radio shut off without warning and the vehicle automatically restarted four to five seconds later. the contact never turned the key in the ignition, changed lanes, or changed gears when the vehicle restarted. the dealer could not duplicate the failure and stated that the vehicle had an investigation open with nhtsa, action # pe07009 regarding electrical system power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm, pcm)). the current mileage is 4,971, and failure mileage was 2,000. *ak updated 06/26/07 *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 04/14/2010 | 40000 | ||
| 2007 jeep wrangler violently pops out of first gear. happens daily and will eventually lead to a accident. it is just a matter of time. i was almost rearended on numerous occasions. chrysler tsb 21-001-10 fixes the issue but in warranty only. this is a safety issue and a recall should be issued. | |||
| 03/01/2010 | 28000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2007 jeep wrangler unlimited rubicon model 4x4 with a manual transmission. the vehicle will intermittently slip out of first gear causing a loss of acceleration. this can be very unsafe while executing a left hand turn with oncoming traffic. i have had the vehicle into the dealership approximately five times and they refuse to acknowledge the problem stating that they are unable to replicate the issue. additionally, the vehicle will occasionally be difficult to go into gear and will make a grinding noise. i did not have any issues with this until i had approximately 28,000 miles on the vehicle. the problem is intermittent and can occur multiple times in one day or not at all for several days. i have not had any accidents as a result of the issue but i feel it is highly unsafe and i am afraid for my spouse to drive the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 05/05/2009 | 30000 | 1 | |
| A 2007 jeep wrangler 4dr. 4x4 with a manual transmission, is very difficult to get into 1st gear. often, when starting out, the transmission slips out of gear into neutral under load, resulting in an unsafe and startling condition. this occurs with all three drivers in the house, and also with someone who borrowed the car. however, the dealer claims not to be able to reproduce the problem, and offers the car for pick up. i see below that there is a request for the approximate incident date, but this is a recurring condition. *tr | |||
| 05/08/2007 | 800 | 1 | 02/26/2007 |
| While driving at roughly 70 mph on highway throttle felt a little weird then the rpms dropped to zero as the electronic throttle control light on the dash came on. immediately headed for the shoulder as i lost power steering and power braking although the electronic steering/braking system was alerted during my swerve towards the shoulder. the vehicle was very unresponsive. upon reaching the shoulder the vehicle stalled. turned off the vehicle, and then restarted it and cautiously returned home. consulted the manual and it appeared that such events were expected and considered normal if the electronic throttle control light did not returned upon restarting the vehicle.*ak the vehicle has shown signs of repeating this trouble and during those times i have let off the throttle, down shifted and then shifted up again in hopes that whatever glitch was occurring would be reset. conditions: late afternoon, 80*f, driving for about 45 minutes manual transmission , stereo was on. *ak | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 5000 | 2 | 01/16/2007 |
| Vehicle has stalled while driving 45mph on exit ramp and 65mph on highway. vehicle restarted right away as it's a manual transmission. all dash warning lights lit up like when first turning vehicle on. didn't notice loss of power steering as i was going straight both times. didn't file complaint before because i didn't know i could. was just waiting for jeep to come up with the solution and then take it in for it. *tr | |||