Leaking axle seal?

[49Gramps]

Looks like I'm in the same boat as everyone else, was looking at me rear axle last Friday and noticed the leak. Checked it out last night and I was down about 1.25 liters of oil, I'm figuring the leak started during the winter so I wasn't looking at things too closely. I have the seal to replace, just crossing my fingers I don't have any other damage.

JT rear axle leak is still an open recall.

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[ShadowsPapa]

JT rear axle leak is still an open recall.

Forgot that. 26A sounds right.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/right-rear-axle-leak-recall.72372/

 

[Texas_JT]

So I am now in this boat. Went in for oil change yesterday. Tech noted leak/oil residue on the back of my wheel.

Service manager pulled up my VIN but no recalls listed. Mine is a 2021 Willy’s with 11/20 build date. I’m currently at 61,900 miles… will I have to foot this bill?

 

[rsscoggins]

I am in the same issue and getting the run around from dealer and @JeepCares - took it in to the dealer in April with the 26A notice letter on the rear axle seal. Inspected parts supposed ordered and here we are 6 months later and nothing. I followed up with the dealer in July and parts were still "ordered".

Today I go into the dealer and they say it is not a recall. I have the letter and they say it is not showing up in the system. I look at the jeep recall site and there is nothing in recall or customer satifaction notices. Weird as I am looking at the letter. So Jeep is trying to screw us it seems.

Still under warranty so now I have to take it back in for yet another inspection - all you need to do is run your hand inside the right rear wheel and you will get grease - and I will probably have to wait another 6 months for parts.

But the removal of the 26a from the recall or the customer satisfaction notices is concerning @JeepCares. Care to explain that one?

 

[CrazyCooter]

The crazy thing is that this isn't rocket science........I have wheel bearing/seal kits on the shelf for $170 that can be swapped in couple of hours with cleanup factored in!

I would think even a knuckle dragging dealer tech could perform this service?

 

[SDC_Bolts]

I am in the same boat as the last few posters. Dealer locally here is no help, just says my VIN is not on the list, and if it was, they discontinued the parts to repair it.

 

[Pilsner]

A new axle for a leaking seal? That’s insane! There must be some sort of weird replacement clause in Jeep’s supplier contract with Dana.

This! WTF? Thought this was exclusive to Nissan.

It’s much more likely that the seal was damaged when the bearing was pressed on, or when the axle shaft installed than a housing being bad.

Also this!

 

[CrazyCooter]

This! WTF? Thought this was exclusive to Nissan.




Also this!

Ironically the JK, non Rubi JL's , and Titan use the same bearing/seal kit!

I have also had serious issues in the past with National branded seals for the JK.....Like every one I did inside of a 2 yr period came back! Switched to CR brand and it was all good! Supplier claimed they never heard of it, I quit buying them, but later my salesman went to the shelf and verified the kits had been swapped to CR!

Bad thing was that I lost $250 per axle seal to swap it out under warranty.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The crazy thing is that this isn't rocket science........I have wheel bearing/seal kits on the shelf for $170 that can be swapped in couple of hours with cleanup factored in!

I would think even a knuckle dragging dealer tech could perform this service?

But if it's a warranty thing - they don't want "mechanics" (or "techs") messing with it. It's likely also cheaper for Jeep to have them swap the entire right axle assembly with seal and bearing already on the axle than to have them mess around and screw things up.
You and I could do it quickly, heck, it's not that much different than a Dana under a WJ as far as bearings and seals, but if the dealership does it, then it takes more time, and now you have the dealer having to cover it if they did something wrong (and today......... my trust in people doing things right is dwindling like our daylight hours in North America this time of year)

For Jeep dealing with warranty they also get the whole assembly back if they ask the dealer to send it in, and if it's a Dana issue, MAYBE they can recover some costs.

(I bet on a stock Jeep, you and I could swap bearing and seal in under 2 hours, including cleanup unless it's a real mess in there and has leaked a lot for a while. But the hourly rate at many dealerships is approaching $200/hour, 2 hours is $350-400..............plus bearing and seal, vs. the cost of the assembly)

 

[SDC_Bolts]

I am in the same boat as the last few posters. Dealer locally here is no help, just says my VIN is not on the list, and if it was, they discontinued the parts to repair it.

Another dealer in the area looked up my Gladiator, said it is not covered under the recall, but it is covered under the 60K PT warranty yet. Parts are being ordered and will let me know when they are in. Fingers crossed. (I have 57,653 miles on it right now)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Another dealer in the area looked up my Gladiator, said it is not covered under the recall, but it is covered under the 60K PT warranty yet. Parts are being ordered and will let me know when they are in. Fingers crossed. (I have 57,653 miles on it right now)

If you are under 60K miles, you are covered and as long as they have a work order for it with the miles recorded, it won't matter if you go over 60 because it's on record that the problem existed and they diagnosed it prior to 60K miles.

 

[CrazyCooter]

Another dealer in the area looked up my Gladiator, said it is not covered under the recall, but it is covered under the 60K PT warranty yet. Parts are being ordered and will let me know when they are in. Fingers crossed. (I have 57,653 miles on it right now)

Crazy how much difference there can be between dealers of the same brand!

 

[Lfmaya13]

Hey guys,

So my 21 Rubicon ended up having the right rear axle leak like everyone else. Dropped it off at the dealership on December 12th and just got it back yesterday. Before I left the lot I looked underneath the truck and noticed it was still leaking. They had the techs look at it and they wiped it off. They told me it most be excess oil and to keep and eye on it. I looked at it today and noticed it's still leaking.

The upsetting part of this is that they didn't take the time to make sure it got fixed properly. The truck is still under warranty and while the truck was at the dealership I wasn't given a loaner or an option for a rental.

What's your guys thoughts?

 

[JTGuy]

What do 37s and a 4.88 gears do to that warranty . ?

 

[DankjeeP]

Hey guys,

So my 21 Rubicon ended up having the right rear axle leak like everyone else. Dropped it off at the dealership on December 12th and just got it back yesterday. Before I left the lot I looked underneath the truck and noticed it was still leaking. They had the techs look at it and they wiped it off. They told me it most be excess oil and to keep and eye on it. I looked at it today and noticed it's still leaking.

The upsetting part of this is that they didn't take the time to make sure it got fixed properly. The truck is still under warranty and while the truck was at the dealership I wasn't given a loaner or an option for a rental.

What's your guys thoughts?

I started a thread about what I found when I replaced mine a little while ago. If you decide to fix it yourself instead of waiting on the dealer again, (and likely having same issue again) check the sealing surface and opening.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/rear-axle-seal-leaks-must-do.86539/#post-1427462

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