Friday the 13th built vehicle?

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retro-man

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I have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Don't know the date of actual manufacture. With just 3,614 miles not 36,000 they are replacing the entire transmission. What the hell!! It got locked into 7th gear out of 8 and would barely move from a stop. Had it flatbed to the dealership. They replace the transmission and loaded the new software into the computer of the vehicle. Software does not download. They tell me they are ordering a new valve body for the transmission and they will work on it Saturday and hopefully finish on Monday. What the hell does a valve body have to do with software not downloading? I really liked this vehicle but I am going to be very apprehensive upon driving it for awhile. I travel a lot on major highways in Mass and don't want to be breaking down on those roads. Jeep is going to get a message from me about not behind a happy and gracious customer. I hope this takes care of the vehicle and no more problems, but who knows what time will bring. Nothing is built like it used to be. Too many damn computers in everything. Not done ranting but that will be to Chrysler.

Jon
 
Ain't that the truth!

Nothing is built like it used to be. Too many damn computers in everything.

 

A couple years ago I sold my '86 Chevy Silverado with the 6.2L diesel V8 in it...the most sophisticated piece of computer equipment in it was the radio!  No other computer in that truck.  I could work on it anytime with my basic tool kit.  Man I miss it.  Now there is a computer controlling the transmission, one for the engine, one for the climate control, one for the stability control, one for traction control, one for the keyless entry and alarm, blah blah blah.  Same goes for our washing machines and dishwashers.  Computers have their place, but I think we should simplify and get back to the basics!
 
jon

Did you just recently purchase this vehicle? I'm asking because of the low mileage. ..if so if it was me I would put on my wonder woman costume and research the lemon law but that's just me.
 
I reluctantly traded in my 95 Silverado with 60K but the frame was totally rotted out and would not pass another state inspection. I traded it for a brand new 2013 Silverado and couldnt be happier with the truck and the deal I got. As long as I have the warranty, that computer stuff is up to the dealer if anything goes wrong.
 
I think a lot of these silly niggles arise from a couple of things:

- Computer programmers being pushed to their limits, and being forced to put something together in a very short period of time, at minimum cost to the OEM
- The computer's themselves aren't build with reliability or durability in mind, again for reasons of cost.

That said, I know what you mean about computers. And a funny anecdote:
Ever notice that the ships on Star Trek NG/Voyager *ALWAYS* begin to fall to pieces in the smallest of battles between ships? The ships are *ALWAYS* having "Level 1 Diagnostics" run, and bits and pieces of the engines consistently diddled with.
You'd think that Star Ships (especially the Enterprise, the flagship, for crying out loud) would be a little more reliable and need a little less work, given the amount of work they do on a regular basis.

However, I must say that computer's aren't all bad. How many cars do we see from the 1990's on the road today, with ridiculous mileage and computer controls? All those Million-Mile Volvo's, Fords, GM's etc?
My Bimmer is coming on 22 years of age this September, and still has the original ECU (Bosch Motronic). Runs well, too. I mean, if it did go wrong, it could be a right pain to diagnose. But plenty of cars like this one have made it this far, and will certainly go farther with their computers.

The problem today is no one wants to invest in a truly "perfect" system where the computers actually work together and not against one-another.
 
Now the New Hampshire Lemon laws are not nearly as good as the Massachusetts Lemon Laws are. In New Hampshire all they will do is arbitrate with certain auto companies. And Chrysler/Jeep is one of the companies that doesn't have an agreement with the state of New Hampshire.

Here is the link to the New Hampshire Lemon Law

http://doj.nh.gov/consumer/sourcebook/lemon-law.htm
 
To mama, yes I did purchase the vehicle new. Actually it was purchased in June of 2014. I have 3 vehicles and drive them all regularly, that is why the low mileage. No the lemon law cannot be enacted till 3 incidents of the same kind. I am just hoping that this is worked out, but we shall see. Waiting to hear from dealership today. I am going to work on Chrysler to give me the extended warranty for free considering the problem I have had. We shall see how that works out. My wife loves dealing with ceo's and bod to hear her case, and get what she thinks we deserve. lol. Above it all we have to laugh about it because life is too short to take everything too seriously. Still pissed but can laugh.

Jon
 
Firstoff, what did I tell you about Chrysler transmissions? OK, you might have missed that.

Right: What does SW download have to do with valve body? Major sounds like servicer bullshit when they don't know what the flark. Which is EVERY time they do what the book says and it doesn't fix anything. What, about a third of the time? TWO thirds?

You already know about industry-standard lowest-bidder engineering by 'graduates' who any engineer can tell you don't know their arse from a golfcourse. From the subcontinent that drinks out of the same water they (and their cows) sh*t in.

Well, you're in warranty so they HAVE to fix it. At the same time, you HAVE to wait for that to happen and you have to give them 3 chances. After 12 attempts to fix 3 problems with my 82 Volkswagen I called 'the factory' which sent a guy who spoke German to look at it. Eventually it got fixed. And the dealer got their franchise yanked. But that was 1982, I doubt such things get dealt so directly today.
 
On a subject about Chrysler

Last July decided to purchase a new truck. Okay, see this Dodge advertised for 23988. The others brand new on the lot could not come close to that. So, pulled in and asked WFT? Drove it. Real fast why it was 23988, was pure junk. Have hated the Iaccoca (any Chrysler product) for many years. They never get better, still junk.

Ended up with a 2014 F150 Limited at 3 times the price than the "HEMI"

The shit they are telling you is just that, shit!

Good luck to you with your tranny problem
 
Friday the 13th vehicles

I am sorry for your troubles. I owned a Friday the 13th vehicle once.
It was a 1981 Chevy Monte Carol, the Last GM car I owned, or will ever own. The car was built on 2-13-81 (a Friday). I know the Mfg date because it had a recall and it only covered certain dates, so the dealer had to research the mfg date.

The car spent more time behind a tow truck than it did on the road. It was like Christine in reverse, It would sit in the drive and inflict injuries on itself. The first incident happened when it was just six weeks old, and the neighbor shot it through the hood with his bow and arrow. Then besides the constant engine, brake, and transmission problems, I couldn't keep a fuel pump on it; it also was wrecked seven times. I was only in the car once. The body shop wrecked it the day I was supposed to pick it up that time. Then it got hit while parked in the street, by the same bus, driven by the same driver, twice a year apart.

I finally got rid of it when the paperboy knocked on the door one morning and asked if I knew who owned the blue car in the yard. "I have blue car, but it's not in the yard." I answered. "It is now."

With 67,000 miles on it I got rid of it. A few weeks later I came home and said "I saw my old car today."
"How did you know it was your car?" my mom asked
"Because it was stalled in the middle of the road."
 
My mom got a new 1985 Chevrolet Caprice, and the transmission acted up the first time she drove it over 45mph (the second day she had it). My dad took it back to the dealer, and they had the transmission replaced (by an independent shop), and never any trouble with it after that.

Hope yours will be back in proper order soon.
 
 

 

Hey Jon, 

 

How long did you try to drive it with it stuck in 7th gear?   How many times did you try to accelerate from low speed or a complete stop before having it towed?   If you did this a very short time before having it towed, that's great.   If you tried to drive it thru a weekend for example (I know, probably not), then you could have caused damage to the internals of the trans.   

 

If reprogramming the ECU didn't fix it, a problem in the valve body certainly could be the cause (of the trans not working, not a ECU reflash).   Let them do this valve body replacement and see how it goes.  If it does NOT fix the problem, talk to who ever you need to, the Service dept manager, as well as Chrysler/Jeep customer support 800 number and be an Assh**e about if need be, but INSIST they <span style="text-decoration: underline;">replace the entire transmission</span> rather than more parts of it. 

 

BTW... the valve body is inside the transmission oil pan and controls how, what and when the transmission does anything it does (mechanical control with input from the ECU).

 

There is a chance the trans ECU may need to be replaced if a "reflash" does not work.   I'll assume the trans and engine ECU's are one and the same, but that's on them, not you.

 

Granted it's covered under warranty, so no cost to you, only the inconvenience of being w/o the car.   Generally when dealing with a warranty, the dealer will do as little as they can get away with to repair it.

 

Best of luck with it!

 

Kevin
 
The dealer ship called later yesterday afternoon and it is done. Will be picking it up this morning. He did state that they have replaced the transmission but the software would not download, so they ordered a new valve body to go along with the new transmission. I did not drive the vehicle far maybe 5 miles at most from the time I left to returning home. There were probably 4 or 5 starts from dead stop. Of course you will hit every red light when you have a problem. So hopefully this problem is resolved, but will be a little hesitant driving it for awhile. Will let you tomorrow how this plays out. When the tow truck dropped it off with me there was a woman with the same problem but a different model. I checked with my local dealer whom I had done business with for many years and they had 6 vehicles with the same issue. I would imagine a recall may be coming up on these.

Jon
 
They are very unlikely to recall anything other than safety issues. Expensive and bad publicity. They will issue a service bulletin (already should have) and fix them on a complaint basis.

RE the download/valvebody hokum, there remains a possibility that both the firmware and hardware were defective and replacing just one doesn't work. Makes it sound worse when you say it that way, hence the obfuscation. As if you'd ever buy another Chrysler anyway, eh?
 
Picked up the Jeep yesterday morning. All I can say is that I am very impressed with the work that they did. I was feeling apprehensive about the vehicle until I drove it a few miles. I guess it was having this problem since right after taking delivery although very minor. I feel that this problem has been resolved completely. It shifts better and smoother that when it was purchased. I am confident again in owning it. The service manager explain that the valve assembly is where the programing is installed. As far as purchasing another Chrysler product I would. I am a die hard Mopar fan. I have had many Dodge and Chrysler products over the years. I have had GM's and Fords of all models and price ranges that have had issues right from the start. Its the parts that are installed into the vehicles that cause the problems and only a limited few that make these parts for all manufacturers. You can get a lemon from any manufacturer. Its a roll of the dice. lol. So a happy end to this tale of misery and hopefully many miles ahead.

Jon
 
The other day I had a cousin who took his 2010 Chevrolet Impala in for the ignition lock recall. The dealership said they have been having problems getting repair parts.
This was the recall where if the key chain is too heavy it can cause the ignition to turn itself to the "off" position while driving.

How did they fix the problem? They glued a weight onto the ignition key! As if that is going to do anything! It's the spring in the lock mechanism that's defective, not the key itself!
 
Hey, just glad it works.

I've got a 29yo Toyota nothing major has ever gone wrong with so naturally I would buy another Toyota. (If I had money which I don't.)

1967 to 1986 I had 9 Volkswagens. The newer they were the worse they worked so you couldn't give me one today. Or any German car, even if they weren't astronomically overpriced to buy and maintain.

Everybody arrives at their automotive preferences by different paths. I stuck with VW long past the point they went rancid.
 

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