Brand new 8 speed at 14,980 miles

[ddub509]

Wanted to share my story as it's one I've seen and was able to get handled for myself.

I've got a 2021 gladiator overland, 3.6L, 8 speed auto, modified 2" MOPAR lift and 35's.

Around 12,000 miles I started having a lot of transmission quirks. Very heavy slams into reverse from park, and when cruising my neighborhood at idle and around 25MPH it would kind of surge and slam from 3rd to 4th gear. Sometimes it would bounce back and fourth between 3rd and 4th like it couldn't choose which gear it should be in. That quirk got worse over time and eventually would surge, slam, then fall out of gear entirely and force the vehicle into limp mode (stuck in 1st). When that happened I'd get a code that was "incorrect 3rd gear ratio." Over time all of my shiftpoints got a little rough but 3rd to 4th was definitely the worst.

Took it in to the dealer to get looked at. First attempt they replaced the valve body under warranty. That service did mute the problem a bit, probably just the fresh fluid and clean channels in the valve body, but over a few weeks the problem came back just as bad and I had it go into limp mode about 3 times in a 4 day period so I took it back.

FCA was great. Tech opened it up and found metal in the pan and they quickly approved a new trans and cooler to make sure no metal was left behind. Took 37 days but they kept me in a rental wrangler the whole time.

Have had it back for a day now and holy cow, it's a completely different vehicle. I bought it new and the transmission was never this smooth. It drives and shifts more like a Mercedes now and for the first time I actually really love driving this vehicle.

So! If you have a similar issue developing and are under warranty, don't drag your feet, get it in. It seems to be a fairly common issue despite not having a TSB out

Caboose lives again!

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[ShrimpHappens]

It's good to hear at least one case of everything working out as it should for the customer.

 

[JET_83]

Wanted to share my story as it's one I've seen and was able to get handled for myself.

I've got a 2021 gladiator overland, 3.6L, 8 speed auto, modified 2" MOPAR lift and 35's.

Around 12,000 miles I started having a lot of transmission quirks. Very heavy slams into reverse from park, and when cruising my neighborhood at idle and around 25MPH it would kind of surge and slam from 3rd to 4th gear. Sometimes it would bounce back and fourth between 3rd and 4th like it couldn't choose which gear it should be in. That quirk got worse over time and eventually would surge, slam, then fall out of gear entirely and force the vehicle into limp mode (stuck in 1st). When that happened I'd get a code that was "incorrect 3rd gear ratio." Over time all of my shiftpoints got a little rough but 3rd to 4th was definitely the worst.

Took it in to the dealer to get looked at. First attempt they replaced the valve body under warranty. That service did mute the problem a bit, probably just the fresh fluid and clean channels in the valve body, but over a few weeks the problem came back just as bad and I had it go into limp mode about 3 times in a 4 day period so I took it back.

FCA was great. Tech opened it up and found metal in the pan and they quickly approved a new trans and cooler to make sure no metal was left behind. Took 37 days but they kept me in a rental wrangler the whole time.

Have had it back for a day now and holy cow, it's a completely different vehicle. I bought it new and the transmission was never this smooth. It drives and shifts more like a Mercedes now and for the first time I actually really love driving this vehicle.

So! If you have a similar issue developing and are under warranty, don't drag your feet, get it in. It seems to be a fairly common issue despite not having a TSB out

Caboose lives again!

They should’ve just had the transmission replaced the first time you took it in

 

[Jefe1018]

It's good to hear at least one case of everything working out as it should for the customer.

I think this happens 98% of the time, the the other 1% end up on here and the other 1% on the Tacoma forum saying it's worth the markup.

 

[Charles 236]

They should’ve just had the transmission replaced the first time you took it in

In the dealership, we are not allowed to swap out an eight speed transmission without corporate approval. Corporate approval requires documentation of the issue and an attempt to fix the problem by changing the valve body. Once this is done, if (Actually, when) the problem is still present, we are allowed to replace the transmission. The eight speed transmission is not super complicated, but corporate policy doesn't allow us (I am a dealership technician) to rebuild them. It is part of a continuous drift into swapping parts instead of repairing them.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

They should’ve just had the transmission replaced the first time you took it in

Why? that's not how you troubleshoot, nor would that be the standard procedure. Hey, transmission acting up, just replace it.
Nope, that's rare. If they did that for every transmission issue it would cost a fortune when only a small percentage actually end up needing full replacement.
If I told a customer they needed a new transmission every time I saw a shifting issue or limp mode......... wow.

So my F250 had some shifting issues and finally went into limp mode, was acting really strange. I could have gotten a new transmission over a blown fuse, I guess.

Sounds like the guys on fakebook who tell anyone who comes in and says their car won't turn over - sounds like you need to replace the alternator!

My bet, and we have very incomplete info here - they replaced the valve body because that's what the symptoms indicated. At first there were not signs of excessive wear material or metal in the pan or filter. They followed procedure, by the book to GET REIMBURSED by FCA, and replaced the valve body. They had all they needed to do that and there weren't indications of other issues.
Further driving caused enough wear and breakdown now there were pieces in the pan that caused concern. Knowing the history, they had all of the evidence necessary to get a transmission and get fully reimbursed by FCA for all parts and labor (by the book, anyway, if the tech was good)
Sometimes with these, it literally is a "try what we know and go from there".
It takes debris smaller than the diameter of a human hair to lock a valve body spindle or valve solid in the bore. So it wouldn't have taken much at all to cause valve body issues or even damage.
They don't get paid to open them up and diagnose them, perform any forensics.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The eight speed transmission is not super complicated, but corporate policy doesn't allow us (I am a dealership technician) to rebuild them.

It's complicated enough there's a lot of techs I'd not want messing around in them. I've seen even 727s and C6s destroyed by someone who figured "this isn't so bad, I can do this".
I pulled a pan down and found a servo busted clean off the case inside - after another transmission guy rebuilt it.

 

[Rahkmalla]

It drives and shifts more like a Mercedes now

The transmission in your gladiator is the same transmission (different variants based on hp and torque requirements) in almost every BMW, a few aston martins, a few bentleys, at least one rolls royce, as well as the TRX, supra, and some other performance vehicles.

To anyone who thinks their ZF8HP doesn't shift like a dream, get it checked out immediately. The automatic in these Jeeps is the least jeep-like part of the whole car. It SHOULD shift like a dream. I know my old Willys did.

 

[Charles 236]

It's complicated enough there's a lot of techs I'd not want messing around in them. I've seen even 727s and C6s destroyed by someone who figured "this isn't so bad, I can do this".
I pulled a pan down and found a servo busted clean off the case inside - after another transmission guy rebuilt it.

When I first left working in independent shops to work in a dealership, the transmission technician was a specialist. He worked on transmissions and generally knew what he would find when he opened it up after a test drive. At least, I did when I was the transmission technician in another dealership. I made many trips to the Chrysler Training Center, took plenty of classes on transmission and drivetrain repair. The eight speed is not too complicated to rebuild, but it is probably cheaper (less risk of problems or comebacks) to replace it after we jump through the corporate hoops. The irony is that we have the information available to us for rebuilding the eight speed, but the current policy is replacement if a valve body doesn't fix it.

 

[JET_83]

Why? that's not how you troubleshoot, nor would that be the standard procedure. Hey, transmission acting up, just replace it.
Nope, that's rare. If they did that for every transmission issue it would cost a fortune when only a small percentage actually end up needing full replacement.
If I told a customer they needed a new transmission every time I saw a shifting issue or limp mode......... wow.

So my F250 had some shifting issues and finally went into limp mode, was acting really strange. I could have gotten a new transmission over a blown fuse, I guess.

Sounds like the guys on fakebook who tell anyone who comes in and says their car won't turn over - sounds like you need to replace the alternator!

My bet, and we have very incomplete info here - they replaced the valve body because that's what the symptoms indicated. At first there were not signs of excessive wear material or metal in the pan or filter. They followed procedure, by the book to GET REIMBURSED by FCA, and replaced the valve body. They had all they needed to do that and there weren't indications of other issues.
Further driving caused enough wear and breakdown now there were pieces in the pan that caused concern. Knowing the history, they had all of the evidence necessary to get a transmission and get fully reimbursed by FCA for all parts and labor (by the book, anyway, if the tech was good)
Sometimes with these, it literally is a "try what we know and go from there".
It takes debris smaller than the diameter of a human hair to lock a valve body spindle or valve solid in the bore. So it wouldn't have taken much at all to cause valve body issues or even damage.
They don't get paid to open them up and diagnose them, perform any forensics.

Well, clearly it was a transmission problem that needed replaced so there’s that

 

[JET_83]

The transmission in your gladiator is the same transmission (different variants based on hp and torque requirements) in almost every BMW, a few aston martins, a few bentleys, at least one rolls royce, as well as the TRX, supra, and some other performance vehicles.

To anyone who thinks their ZF8HP doesn't shift like a dream, get it checked out immediately. The automatic in these Jeeps is the least jeep-like part of the whole car. It SHOULD shift like a dream. I know my old Willys did.

It’s a German transmission just heard that the one that isn’t the HP one is the one manufactured in the US, that’s the only difference

 

[JET_83]

Never an excuse for a transmission to fail this new regardless, hell any part that’s new for that matter.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Well, clearly it was a transmission problem that needed replaced so there’s that

Hindsight. That wasn't clear the first time around. And knowing the state of training techs, the ability of some, and the fact that not all shops can afford to have someone trained with expertise on transmissions leads me to favor the current system for most shops - and they can't say "shop A can do this but shop B can only do it this way". They must a policy that fits the lowest common denominator.

For all we know, and they knew at the time, a valve body (and cleaning) could have resolved things. It's a simple item taking a lot less time and is much less intrusive than full replacement.
Having walked the walk for years - I understand the current policies.
Understanding of course doesn't always mean full agreements. But it makes sense in today's atmosphere.

 

[JET_83]

Hindsight. That wasn't clear the first time around. And knowing the state of training techs, the ability of some, and the fact that not all shops can afford to have someone trained with expertise on transmissions leads me to favor the current system for most shops - and they can't say "shop A can do this but shop B can only do it this way". They must a policy that fits the lowest common denominator.

For all we know, and they knew at the time, a valve body (and cleaning) could have resolved things. It's a simple item taking a lot less time and is much less intrusive than full replacement.
Having walked the walk for years - I understand the current policies.
Understanding of course doesn't always mean full agreements. But it makes sense in today's atmosphere.

Why would that had ever been the issue to even take that step?

 

[K-Dog]

Wanted to share my story as it's one I've seen and was able to get handled for myself.

I've got a 2021 gladiator overland, 3.6L, 8 speed auto, modified 2" MOPAR lift and 35's.

Around 12,000 miles I started having a lot of transmission quirks. Very heavy slams into reverse from park, and when cruising my neighborhood at idle and around 25MPH it would kind of surge and slam from 3rd to 4th gear. Sometimes it would bounce back and fourth between 3rd and 4th like it couldn't choose which gear it should be in. That quirk got worse over time and eventually would surge, slam, then fall out of gear entirely and force the vehicle into limp mode (stuck in 1st). When that happened I'd get a code that was "incorrect 3rd gear ratio." Over time all of my shiftpoints got a little rough but 3rd to 4th was definitely the worst.

Took it in to the dealer to get looked at. First attempt they replaced the valve body under warranty. That service did mute the problem a bit, probably just the fresh fluid and clean channels in the valve body, but over a few weeks the problem came back just as bad and I had it go into limp mode about 3 times in a 4 day period so I took it back.

FCA was great. Tech opened it up and found metal in the pan and they quickly approved a new trans and cooler to make sure no metal was left behind. Took 37 days but they kept me in a rental wrangler the whole time.

Have had it back for a day now and holy cow, it's a completely different vehicle. I bought it new and the transmission was never this smooth. It drives and shifts more like a Mercedes now and for the first time I actually really love driving this vehicle.

So! If you have a similar issue developing and are under warranty, don't drag your feet, get it in. It seems to be a fairly common issue despite not having a TSB out

Caboose lives again!

Definitely not the last Jeep you will ever own lol... Glad to hear all is well.

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