Gremlins!

[Ringmaster]

I had been driving for at least 20 min when suddenly I hear the dreaded "DING" of something amiss, and discovered "Service Shifter" on the display. Suddenly I lost power steering as well, and I was able to coast into a residential neighborhood before I caught a fleeting glimpse of a warning about the stability control and lost all power. Except the depress brake and start engine display. No other lights or power. Could not shift or press on the brake to start. I waited awhile and attempted to start the vehicle on and off for about 30 min. Nothing. Got out if the Jeep and walked around, then tried by remote start. Ran for about 10 seconds. Jeep did lock me out and key fob would not work, luckily the spare key did. I have the extended maxcare warranty so called for a tow. Tow truck driver shows up and VIOLA! Starts right up. Driver said the check engine light was still on but wanted to know if I still wanted it towed. I was 10 miles away from the dealer so of course I did. He was able to drive the Jeep up to the truck and then it died again. That was 3 AM. Fast forward to 8 AM. Dealer was in contact with me and explained how I would have to pay for the diagnostic fee, etc if nothing was found or not under warranty. I explained I would need a rental - he said he had none available. I didnt press it since the contract said a rental was only provided under a covered warranty repair. AT 3 PM I got a text from the dealer asking how long I had the auxiliary lights wired in. I said over 2 years. Right then I knew they were fishing. Finally they said it was running fine now, but it has can bus codes they cant figure out. They wanted me to come pick it up and drive it. I told them no way I was getting stuck on the highway with no steering when it shuts down again. It was time to give them my suggestions regarding the wiring harness, star cluster, and batteries. They of course got offended, saying they checked all that and the batteries had been replaced less than a year ago. Dealer then said they would give it an "extensive battery test". They thought disconnecting the auxiliary lights (that had not caused a problem in over 2 years) would solve the problem. Why they didn't try that I don't know. Then they thought it might be the "wire ignition module" and will look at that. Last I heard from them today. We'll start over tomorrow. I am NOT going to pay their diagnostic fee and tow bill if they do not repair the problem they admit is still occurring. I do not have the eco diesel and can't find any other situations like this where the Jeep goes completely dead. Any suggestions?? Sorry for the long dissertation!

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[Papa Bear]

Hey dude, sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your Jeep. I can't say I have experienced the exact issue you are describing but I had something similar which was explained to me as a software issue and they applied the fix from TSB 18-042-22. I would ask your dealer to tell you what error codes you are having either active or stored. The dealer should have done that right away and if they did, have them communicate those to you. Then take a look at TSBs for the model of your Gladiator online. If you find something that is describing the error codes you have then have dealer apply those fixes. I would start with a PCM update because often the software that is stored on our computer becomes obsolete and requires updates. The dealers don't let owners know about these updates (at least mine didn't) so you have to be vigilant and proactive. I hope these recommendations work for you. Post some updates when you have them.

 

[Ringmaster]

Hey dude, sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your Jeep. I can't say I have experienced the exact issue you are describing but I had something similar which was explained to me as a software issue and they applied the fix from TSB 18-042-22. I would ask your dealer to tell you what error codes you are having either active or stored. The dealer should have done that right away and if they did, have them communicate those to you. Then take a look at TSBs for the model of your Gladiator online. If you find something that is describing the error codes you have then have dealer apply those fixes. I would start with a PCM update because often the software that is stored on our computer becomes obsolete and requires updates. The dealers don't let owners know about these updates (at least mine didn't) so you have to be vigilant and proactive. I hope these recommendations work for you. Post some updates when you have them.

Thanks for the suggestion. They are supposed to email me all the codes they pulled and I am still waiting. Appears I am going to have to call them back and remind them. I had the last free oil change there about a month ago, and they claim they updated the software at that time. Dealer never found out what the problem was and it has not happened again. I cross my fingers every time I get on the highway.

 

[Papa Bear]

Do you have a Tazer by chance or another programmer that would read the codes for you? The Tazer JL Mini is what I use and it has been useful for pulling all the fault codes for me. The one caveat is that Jeep uses their own version of an OBD2 scanner and their's is the only one that they will accept for fault codes and the only one they use to fix issues. So if you don't have one it's a moot point but if you do, you should remove/unmarry that programmer each time you go to the dealership or they can claim it is a cause of the issue and possibly won't fix the problem because of that one add-on.

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