Stop sale on manual transmission Gladiators (clutch assembly may overheat, causing a fire)

[tarndesigns]

Ordered my 6MT Mojave on Feb 1st. Just spoke with the dealer. Apparently it went from D Status to D1... and then back to D Status.

Anyone have any additional insight into what to expect for my build?

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[ErrngeElise]

Ordered my 6MT Mojave on Feb 1st. Just spoke with the dealer. Apparently it went from D Status to D1... and then back to D Status.

Anyone have any additional insight into what to expect for my build?

I’m in the same boat. Ordered 2/1 as well. Scheduled 2/13
Then the recall was announced and sounds like production of manuals stopped 2/16. Since the “remedy is under development” they may not have a date to resume production yet so it’s anyone’s guess. It’s all TBD from what I’ve heard. A week ago I contacted Jeep using the fca chat and the rep said that there was no delay in orders. I know that’s not true. We all do. But didn’t seem like they had an answer they were willing to share.
I have noticed a lot of the 6 speed manuals that were “being built” or were “in transit” recently showed up at dealers and with window stickers for getting 8 speed autos. Seems like dealers changed those inventory orders as soon as they caught wind of all this to ensure they keep inventory flowing in.

 

[Dusty Rag]

Wish list for FCA if they’re listening.
Option 1:

• Ditch the DMF
• Use a heavier weighted flywheel
• Use a heavy duty clutch
• Increase towing capacity while you’re at it. 4500lbs is a joke. Tacomas have the same tow rating regardless of being auto or manual.

Option 2:
Save yourselves the hassle and cut me a check for 4k so I can do what I want.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the manual. I have no regrets but there’s obviously some things FCA could improve. I actually love everything about the gear box itself. Smooth, drop shifts great, no whining, positive shifts and the gear spread is perfect to me. But the 4.10s with 33s is too tall. Should have been at least 4.56 gears. IMO clutch feel is fine. It’s the abruptness of the engine stalling that is frustrating. I am used to it now and hardly ever stall. But definitely takes a bit more throttling to get it going compared to any other car or Jeep I’ve had in the past. If the engine didn’t stall so easy you’d have a chance to feel the rpm’s bog and feel the Jeep start to pull forward. Heavy weight flywheel seems to make sense here.

 

[BuyHold]

But the 4.10s with 33s is too tall. Should have been at least 4.56 gears.

Agree with all of it.

Especially this.

 

[firemedic2714]

@seven30 Yeah, I'm really just postulating here from limited experience as I can say that my other vehicles with DMFs aren't at all stall-happy (3000ish lb curb weights and 30lb DMFs) and don't make noise either. You come off the clutch pedal and like you'd expect, the car moves forward without any resistance or throttle input (depending on road grade of course) so therein lies my opinion about the inherent nature of the DMF having nothing to do with stall. Hell, maybe 29lbs is just too light in a vehicle with curb weight of 5000lbs. I'm sure it's more complicated than that though.

I'm not sure the rattling noise us manual trans folks hear is actually the DMF either. JKs have the same rattle. My JT makes so much rattling noise close to stall RPM in 1st. Going up my driveway in 1st every day sounds like marbles in a can.

To me, during 2nd gear stops, the rattling sounded like classic detonation so I started filling up with 89 octane (vs. 87) and the rattling is gone.

 

[JTDay]

To me, during 2nd gear stops, the rattling sounded like classic detonation so I started filling up with 89 octane (vs. 87) and the rattling is gone.

I've been thinking about filling up with 91 just to see if I notice a difference, but what do you mean by "during 2nd gear stops". Do you mean engine braking in 2nd gear?

I honestly don't know what the rattling noise is but my noise isnt knock. It's something rattling in/near the trans.

 

[Geoarch]

Bummer. How hard it is to make an manual transmission that works properly and lasts 200k these days. This was something that was very doable 30yrs ago. This takes me back to my sweet 2009 regular cab Tacoma, classic bench seat and all the glorious cheapness of Toyota... They had Luk and Asin making the pressure plate for them... The Luk had more 'fingers' on the plate, which led them to be weaker and warp causing slipping during normal driving acceleration.

WTF.... The autos keep getting better and the manuals (except in the Tacoma! my 2018 TRD Off-road auto was a steaming pile of garbage) keep getting worse, poop.

But the Tacoma MT's are not being recalled.

 

[Geoarch]

A dual-mass flywheel has unique torsional dampening characteristics that reduce transmitting engine pulses to the transmission, therefore reducing gear rattle noise. Also by putting the dampening before the clutch, solid center discs can be used which lowers loads on the synchronizers. I don't see these benefits as applicable to the Jeep JL/JT and the Aisin transmission, especially given the tradeoffs.

The Tacomas have Aisin transmissions, so why are they not having that problem. I had a 2018 TRDPro and I find the clutch/MT trans in my Gladiator a better fit, and I use it for rock crawling. But see below for the comment from FCA and my following.

 

[KX L]

Ordered my 6MT Mojave on Feb 1st. Just spoke with the dealer. Apparently it went from D Status to D1... and then back to D Status.

Anyone have any additional insight into what to expect for my build?

Exactly what happened to me in '21. Ordered my 6 speed MT 22 Oct 21 and in Dec it went from D1 back to D. Finally got the vehicle 17 Mar 22 when the original status had me getting it in Dec 21.

I was super pissed off as it ruined many travel plans I had set up. But it was well worth the wait to get the JT exactly as I wanted it. Hang on brother!

 

[firemedic2714]

We recently sold my wife's car, a 2011 Acura TL SH-AWD with a 6-speed. It needed a new clutch. I figure a grand or two, NBD. The dual-mass flywheel is $3,000.00. I asked and they won't resurface it. The repair calls for a new one.

I've been thinking about filling up with 91 just to see if I notice a difference, but what do you mean by "during 2nd gear stops". Do you mean engine braking in 2nd gear?

I honestly don't know what the rattling noise is but my noise isnt knock. It's something rattling in/near the trans.

Sorry, 2nd gear stops are slowing down at a stop sign (instead of a law-abiding complete stop) where you can accelerate away in 2nd gear, instead of a normal 1st gear, without "lugging" the engine.

 

[firemedic2714]

I've been thinking about filling up with 91 just to see if I notice a difference, but what do you mean by "during 2nd gear stops". Do you mean engine braking in 2nd gear?

I honestly don't know what the rattling noise is but my noise isnt knock. It's something rattling in/near the trans.

Sorry, 2nd gear stops are slowing down at a stop sign (instead of a law-abiding complete stop) where you can accelerate away in 2nd gear, instead of 1st gear, without "lugging" the engine.

 

[firemedic2714]

IDK how much the DMF from Jeep is, but we recently sold my wife's 6-speed 2011 Acura TL SH-AWD purely because no one would replace the clutch without also replacing the dual-mass flywheel at a cost of $3,000 just for the flywheel. They can't be machined by a normal machine shop, but South Bend Clutch machines them for $95 plus postage.

 

[JT1]

I've been thinking about filling up with 91 just to see if I notice a difference, but what do you mean by "during 2nd gear stops". Do you mean engine braking in 2nd gear?

I honestly don't know what the rattling noise is but my noise isnt knock. It's something rattling in/near the trans.

I wonder if it's the spring's/dual mass part of the flywheel moving back and forth? Resonating if you will. I noticed it a ton before I regeared, but now only if I'm on it pretty hard in first and need to slow down instead of shift to second..

 

[Hootbro]

The Tacomas have Aisin transmissions, so why are they not having that problem.

Probably because Toyota did the proper engineering and testing of the clutch assembly they installed.

Most if not all third party transmission makers whether they be manual or automatic models, leave the vehicle maker to do the engineering for the interface of the clutch or torque converter to their application.

 

[Geoarch]

Generally a clutch that drags enough to get hot will make shifting very difficult. I suspect the heat issue is simply naive drivers not realizing how much slipping they are doing. And its hard to control that dual plate until is bedded in.

I wonder what constraints are preventing Jeep from chaning the design parameters to match the truck use case.

That's my take on it too. This is what FCA says:

" The automaker says that it is aware of 26 customer assistance records, 36 warranty claims, six field reports, one injury, and no crashes that could be related to this issue."

So, one injury (not defined), and no crashes. Statistically, this could be typical. I had five Tacomas all MTs, and this happened, but rarely, on the Tacomas as well. I searched on this forum, and there is no mention of a clutch/pressure plate exploding. There are a number on this forum where their Gladiator is the first MT they've driven. I'd also like to see if the problems are less common with the 4.10 gearing on the Mojaves and Rubicons. I have about 8000 miles on mine including rock work with clutch work, and no issues.

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