Transmission throwing check engine light.

[rafaelsmith]

So had to take my JTR to the dealer.

This morning when I was leaving the house....when the transmission (8sp auto) went to shift from 3rd to 4th....it could not...and "bucked"...Check Engine light lit up...was stuck in 3rd....even manual shifting did not work....could not get out of third. AFter turning the truck off and back on...everything was fine...it shifted like normal all the way to the dealer....light was still on. So they are looking at it. The error code showed "Gear #3 malfunction"...helpful i know =P


Any ideas?

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[Hootbro]

Who knows? Anything right now would be a stabbing guess. With these transmissions being electronically controlled, could be anything mechanical or electrical/mechanical .

Best to just let them follow their troubleshooting process. I know there is very little service wise they can do under the pan. If a hard mechanical failure, probably looking at a new/reman transmission as most dealerships will not go into that level of a rebuild or repair.

 

[rafaelsmith]

Yeah, its been running flawlessly for a year and now this.

Hopefully, its not something major...but it sure did sound like it when it "bucked".

 

[rafaelsmith]

Heard back from dealer. Saying its the Transmission Valve Body. They are installing a new one tomorrow....hopefully.

Still no clue what was wrong with it or caused it.

 

[Gren71]

Not exactly related but have your dealer check for a TCM update. I just had mine checked and they found one. Completely fixed my issue.

 

[rafaelsmith]

Got Jeep back Friday afternoon. They replaced the transmission valve body.

So far so good. Thou, it still seems a tad bit rough when first going from park to reverse.

 

[rafaelsmith]

Well, wanted to give update.

Replacing the Transmission Valve body did not correct the problem....it seemed to be ok for a week or so but then I started again having issues when first shifting from park to reverse (sometimes it would not engage, other times it would engage but was pretty rough) as well as rough/multi tries shifting from 3rd to 4th. Finally on one of the times when it would not shift into reverse it thru a idiot light. I was able to get it into reverse by cycling engine power.

So it went back to the dealer last Friday....they are now saying they want to replace the transmission and cooler. IT was showing multiple codes, however, as of today the transmission is on "backorder" with current ETA from Jeep of 4/5. I have gotten Jeep Cares involved, and for what its worth they have been attentive in keeping me updated and trying to expedite things.

Frustrating to say the least. Once this is all done, I will probably be moving on from Jeep...serious transmission problems leave me unsettled. Very sad panda.

 

[Gren71]

Sorry to hear all this. Always pisses me off to read how folks just get stuck with a lemon while everyone else has a great time with their jt.

Hopefully they un ass this whole thing soon

 

[rafaelsmith]

Sorry to hear all this. Always pisses me off to read how folks just get stuck with a lemon while everyone else has a great time with their jt.

Hopefully they un ass this whole thing soon

Thats the worst part...I really have enjoyed the heck out of JTR ..and did not have single problem for first year then this. Never had a busted transmission so very early....the fact that they really never figured out what was wrong is actually bad because if it had been some common issue then I would have some faith they knew how to fix it...but instead they just decided to replace transmission....so the thought of driving around always wondering when it will break again is not something I want to deal with. I just need them to get the work done so I can start looking at my options. I do know I will want a truck thou.

 

[Gladman]

Before you pass judgement on going away from the JeeP, find out the failure rate of transmissions on these vehicles.
This automatic is in BMW, Mercedes, Ram, JeeP, and some others as well. The German manufacturer is really well regarded throughout the world for reliable transmissions, however failures can happen. I suspect that if JeeP sold 100,000 JT automatics to date that less than 500 have failed Which is a .5% failure rate.

 

[ozekii]

19k miles on mine and have to have a new transmission. Was told they are back ordered and there is no ETA. Mine locked up and wouldn't get out of park. took about 30 minutes to finally get it out of park to roll onto a tow truck but then locked up at dealership and they couldn't get it out of park.

How can you trust your jeep to go off road after this. If I was off main roads with little or no traffic you could be stranded a long time.

 

[rafaelsmith]

19k miles on mine and have to have a new transmission. Was told they are back ordered and there is no ETA. Mine locked up and wouldn't get out of park. took about 30 minutes to finally get it out of park to roll onto a tow truck but then locked up at dealership and they couldn't get it out of park.

How can you trust your jeep to go off road after this. If I was off main roads with little or no traffic you could be stranded a long time.

Yeah, after something like this I can't even trust it on road let alone going off road. Not a feeling you want to have....especially considering what we pay for these things.

 

[Hootbro]

I am sure whatever brand you jump to, there is someone over there with a transmission issue leaving to come here.

I know you cannot get that warm fuzzy of a new vehicle confidence back, but the grass is not greener. Nobody want to be "that guy" that such things happen to, but it is just your turn in the barrel. Mine will probably be tomorrow.

That being said, on a rolling average, these ZF designed 8 speeds are considered some the of the best out there. I would make the case to you to give them a chance with the replacement transmission before jumping ship.

Also, the cost to quality ratio has not been a thing for a long time. If that was the case, European luxury brands and Italian Exotics would be stone nuts reliable.

 

[rafaelsmith]

I am sure whatever brand you jump to, there is someone over there with a transmission issue leaving to come here.

I know you cannot get that warm fuzzy of a new vehicle confidence back, but the grass is not greener. Nobody want to be "that guy" that such things happen to, but it is just your turn in the barrel. Mine will probably be tomorrow.

That being said, on a rolling average, these ZF designed 8 speeds are considered some the of the best out there. I would make the case to you to give them a chance with the replacement transmission before jumping ship.

Also, the cost to quality ratio has not been a thing for a long time. If that was the case, European luxury brands and Italian Exotics would be stone nuts reliable.

Trust me, I would love to have some confidence(I miss my JT)....but as it stands...as of today...they don't even seem have any urgency in getting a transmission to my dealer let alone fix the problem. With the exception of my calling them every day...only to get told "they will look into it" there has been no communication or updates on getting the part to the dealer. The "on backorder" seems like a cop-out to me considering I know they have to have transmissions for the new JTs that are continuing to roll out of the plant(s).

 

[Krash1642]

Trust me, I would love to have some confidence(I miss my JT)....but as it stands...as of today...they don't even seem have any urgency in getting a transmission to my dealer let alone fix the problem. With the exception of my calling them every day...only to get told "they will look into it" there has been no communication or updates on getting the part to the dealer. The "on backorder" seems like a cop-out to me considering I know they have to have transmissions for the new JTs that are continuing to roll out of the plant(s).

Did your issue get resolved? if so, what did they end up doing and was it under warranty? I've had my JT for a little over two years and have just over 30,000 miles on it with no issues and about 3 weeks ago I experienced exactly what you did. Dealership checked for a software update and that was not the problem, then they came back and said they thought they needed to replace a bearing in my transmission. This was a week and a few days ago but the part has not come in yet. I was just hoping to hear someone else had the issue resolved with no further issues... Thank you for any info/advice etc!!

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