Episode 726 – Jeeps Recalled For Engine
This Week in Jeep
Jeeps Recalled For Engine Shutdown
Well, here we go again. I was hoping we could finish out 2022 with no more recalls from Jeep but it seems we have a big one on our hands. According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), there is an unknown issue causing the engines of over 60k Wranglers 4xe’s to just randomly shut down. These vehicles were manufactured between Sept. 2, 2020, and Aug. 17, 2022; those manufactured before or after those dates are not impacted. The affected vehicles may experience an unexpected engine shut-down that results in a sudden loss of power while driving and increases the chances of an accident. The components involved in the recall are unknown, and the root of the issue is also unknown, and under investigation. Even though the cause is still under investigation, and the parts or programming involved with this are also unknown, Jeep says they have a patch of sorts ready to go. If you own an affected Jeep Wrangler 4xe, you should contact your local dealer to schedule the fix (or so they are calling it.) Jeep will update the vehicle calibration software in the Transmission Control Module, Hybrid Control Processor, and Auxiliary Hybrid Control Processor during the recall and reimburse owners who have had any out-of-pocket costs related to the recall issue, ….if they can provide a receipt as proof of course.
The manufacturer is aware of 112 customer records, 196 warranty claims, and 65 field reports that were potentially related to the recall issue during a two-year period between Dec. 17, 2020, and Oct. 26, 2022. So far, there have been two accidents and one injury potentially related to this recall. Owners with vehicles affected by the recall can expect a notice on or about Jan. 12, 2023. One word of caution here Jeepers… Right now there is no official “Stop Drive” order from Stellantis (Jeep’s parent company), but you should keep an eye on the NHTSA recalls site for updates; you can enter your VIN number there to see if your Jeep is affected. We’ll of course have that link for you in the show notes for this episode at JeepTalkShow.com. https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
It’s Not a Recall (Yet) For The ‘19-’20 Jeep Compass
Speaking of recalls, the NHTSA is investigating hundreds of thousands of Jeeps for reports of an unexpected loss of power. Though not a recall at this point, the current investigation could result in one. The official probe comes after Jeep received 15 complaints about the 2019-2020 Compass, which stated that the Jeep would shut off unexpectedly and displayed warning messages afterward. The Compass showed coolant temperature warnings but would behave normally after the restart, but one owner reported needing a tow. Unsurprisingly, Jeep Compass owners have taken to the internet to complain. One post says the error messages are not related to an actual overheating event but still cause their Compass Trailhawk to shut down. They said the issue happens at any time of day or night and is not affected by ambient temps. Here is where things get serious, in all the reports, they note that the Compass shutdown issue would typically happen at traffic lights and while driving on the highway, stating that the vehicle temporarily locks up and can stop abruptly. It’s not hard to see how that could suck quite badly at highway speeds. It’s worth noting that the Compass has not been recalled at the time of this recording. These investigations could result in a recall, which would then lead to a fix, but for now, NHTSA is simply just gathering facts. And they’ve got quite a lot to gather considering this probe affects over 230,000 Jeep Compass.
The Sun Was In My Eyes!
Ahhh the age-old excuse that always works, because we’ve all been there. Look the wrong way at the wrong time and BAM… “blinded by the light, revved up like a du….” ANYways…. no you aren’t suddenly struck by the spirit of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. The sun got in your eyes, and you dropped the ball, missed the putt, didn’t stick your line, got hit by a train, you know, that sort of stuff. Yes, I said “hit by a train”, and this one Jeeper lived to tell the story. 71-year-old John William Charbonneau, of Forsyth Georgia, was treated for minor injuries at the Monroe County Hospital last week after having a close encounter with a Norfolk Southern train at the railroad crossing at Tift College Drive. Typically the only encounter with a train one would want is onboard one of those swanky dinner trains where they wait on you hand and foot. However, this Jeep went in a different direction. John told deputies he didn’t see the train due to the glare of the sun. As John moved through the crossing, (completely missing the giant signs and the big red flashing lights marking the danger) his Jeep was hit in the rear by the train and pushed through the intersection into the eastbound median. Mr. Charbonneau is now back in his Forsyth home nursing his wounds, his Jeep, however, is going to be a total loss. At least the ol’ timer has one hell of a story to tell, and maybe a need for a new pair of sunglasses too.
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Watch what you say on the radio when out wheeling
When we are out Jeeping we use the Baofeng UV-5G handheld radio to connect with other drivers in our group. We have used these when teaching as well to help the student navigate their drive. We recently purchased the Midland MXT575 GMRS MicroMobile radio so that we could make sure all the students, and other jeepers on our trail runs and special events could hear us. The handhelds are great, however with the wheeling, we do in the mountains or around narrow shelf roads and canyons, a lot of the time the rear jeeps can’t hear us. So the new, bigger radio was installed and we were excited to try it out.
We did a New Jeep owner trail run with Redlands Jeep last weekend and were excited to use the new radio. All the drivers had handheld units and I also had one when I was out of the jeep helping spot over any difficult terrain. The MXT575 is mounted inside the jeep and we also purchased a larger external antenna to make sure we could reach out farther. About a ½ hour into our Jeep, another Jeep and a Toyota truck caught up to us on the single-lane dirt road. As we made our way on the dirt road we could hear “them” talking on the radio. Now what was weird was that we could hear them on the handhelds but NOT the 575 unit. Very strange.
Now as a newbie you may not be aware that any radio you transmit on is not private – EVER. For any experienced Jeeper, I’m sure you understand that the channel or frequency is not yours just because you paid a fee (GMRS or HAM). If you didn’t know that it’s not private, heed this warning.
On our run, we hear the two off-roaders behind us saying things like “Oh NO, a mall crawler in front of us” “They shouldn’t be on this road “ and ” they can’t make it over anything out here” and so on. We tried to respond with a comment of “you know we can hear you?” but no response. We found a wide spot in the road and let them pass. The Jeeper gave us a wave and they went on their way. I walked back and talked to each “new” driver about etiquette, apologized for the other Jeep’s behavior and continued on our way. I should let you know that on this particular run one of the drivers is a sales rep for Jeep! YES, that Jeep! Yep, she looked like a normal new driver in her shiny new jeep just driving on the dirt, but she is a sales rep representing the brand. She was a good sport and simply said, “It’s a Toyota thing”, and I had to laugh. At least she wasn’t offended.
Well, we met up with these two off-roaders again as this particular trail is one way in, one way out. Again, as we saw them approaching we could hear their chatter when they saw us again. Mall crawler comments along with others like their brand new shiny Jeeps are too nice to be on the trail etc. Well this time, we were all out of our Jeeps reviewing a small obstacle I like to take the new owners through to show them how to use 4 low and that their jeep is very capable of making the short hill climb. These two yahoos arrived and had to stop to wait while one of the newbies negotiated the small obstacle. So Bill calmly walks over to them and tells them “Hi, just wanted to introduce myself as the mall crawler you guys are commenting on.” The driver of the Jeep didn’t really respond until Bill said “You know we can hear you on the radio. Every single word. We do, in fact, have new drivers, and new jeep owners including a national sales rep from Jeep. Probably not a good idea to make comments like that on the radio since you’re not sure who can hear you.” At this point, the color ran from the driver’s face. Bill made light of the situation and the driver and his teenagers in the back seat were starting to laugh. He apologized, said they felt really bad and were sorry.
Bill asked what channel they were on and they said channel 5 on GMRS handheld radios. We were on Channel 20. How the heck was it possible to hear them? They couldn’t hear us, but we could hear them. We have had plenty of interference, or other people on the same channel but not on another completely different channel.
It’s called bleed over and it happens when you can hear someone talking on an adjacent channel or another radio that has a really strong transmission signal. Or you just have an inexpensive radio. Not sure what the issue was.
So this was a great lesson for us as well. We teach newbies all the time and sometimes we will have other radios on a separate channel so we can talk among the instructors. We would never say anything bad about anyone but we would discuss someone’s setup and what line to take, or that they may need help with a certain section/obstacle. I learned that no matter how secure I think a radio channel is, someone is always listening. So, when you are out on a trail run with others, be careful what you say, and how you say it over the radio. You may think you are only in your small group and only your group can hear, but you could have some bleeding over and who knows who is listening? It may be the president of Jeep! LOL
Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update
Visors – fold down, unclip, rotate left or right, and pull
FOB dead battery, or no battery. Take the “dead” FOB and use it to press the start button to start your Gladiator.
What battery does your FOB take? CR 2450 battery. Might be a good idea to get one of these. About $9 from Amazon for 10.
Misch 4×4 5-inch BigBoy Seat Brackets; Driver side – additional 5 inches of legroom for your Jeep Gladiator! About $200 online.
(Also available for JK, TJ, KJ, XJ)
Check out Misch4x4.com
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
Savadicar DP3 Front Door Storage Pockets – $26 https://amzn.to/3BlEVZf
From the makers of the wrap-around center console pocket, and the between the seat and center console pocket comes the door beverage pocket! One of the biggest complaints of Jeep owners up to about 1997 was the lack of cup holders. Now modern-day vehicles have no less than 24 of them strewn throughout the cabin. That’s not to say the JK versions of the Wrangler don’t already have enough cup holders, but what if you like to use your cup holders for something else? Maybe a coin dish, or key holder, or maybe you’ve converted a cup holder into a switch panel, Hey, I’ve seen it done! Regardless, maybe you just want more places to put your tumbler of juicy juice. Enter the Savadicar DP3 Front Door Storage Pockets. This is an all-new design that took the failures of the previous snap-in model and added screw-in installation points for the most secure fit ever. No messy glue. No crappy double-sided tape. Simply use the screws that hold in that crappy net pocket you don’t use anyways. Ditch those sagging net pockets, and add some extended storage and a place to put a beverage all at the same time. Made from injection molded ABS plastic, finished with an OEM textured look and is resistant to abrasion and fading.
Links Mentioned in this Episode
NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/
Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/
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