VOIDED Factory Warranty after taking it through mud

[DAVECS1]

Your going to void the entire vehicle warranty due to tge speed at which someone drove a jeep through mud. Is there a more subjective requirement we could find to void a truck/jeep warranty? What about the Mojave are we to assume that truck will not hit mud at speed in the desert. The axle failing due to repeated high speed mud splash. I hope my axle has more mud splashing capability than that over a 150k. An axle and the labor is about 3500 dollars cost. I am pretty sure they have received more negative equity than that with the press this is picking up. There is a thing called goodwill. Fix the guy up, give him a stern talking too and if he arrives again with a broken truck we all agree he screwed up and it is on his dime.

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[jtimbrook]

I find it funny all these other news feeds are starting to run this thread yet there is no actual outcome or response from the OP other than that he's never going mudding again. The reality is FCA is going to protect their consumer-base which for the majority is not what's on this forum. 77K units have been sold give or take and there's probably about 30% +/- of those owners on here.

There are plenty of folks who will continue to buy the Gladiator and plenty of us NOT running to trade our Gladiators in even after reading this. In this case it's very much two different sides to the story but in reality the truth is in the middle somewhere. Years ago I ran a very light fire road with some friends and on my way back home on the highway my rear axle started to smoke. Pulled over to find my center diff had rotated on the axle tubes. Originally FCA did not want to cover the repair but after some research it was found that this was a manufacturer defect and my warranty was re-instated. It took about a week to resolve but it wasn't done through threatening FCA with a lawsuit.

If the OP has a legitimate claim and that the damage is due to manufacturer fault or defect then this goes through mediation with FCA end of story, if not though FCA is going to protect their business.

 

[PyrPatriot]

The reality is FCA is going to protect their consumer-base which for the majority is not what's on this forum. 77K units have been sold give or take and there's probably about 30% +/- of those owners on here.

More like 3%, of which 77k is about 2k members. I doubt there are even that many

 

[Riccochet]

Your going to void the entire vehicle warranty due to tge speed at which someone drove a jeep through mud. Is there a more subjective requirement we could find to void a truck/jeep warranty? What about the Mojave are we to assume that truck will not hit mud at speed in the desert. The axle failing due to repeated high speed mud splash. I hope my axle has more mud splashing capability than that over a 150k. An axle and the labor is about 3500 dollars cost. I am pretty sure they have received more negative equity than that with the press this is picking up. There is a thing called goodwill. Fix the guy up, give him a stern talking too and if he arrives again with a broken truck we all agree he screwed up and it is on his dime.

It's a Gladiator. Not a $1,000,000 Trophy truck.

It's on the owner to understand the limits of their vehicle. Not FCA to pay for stupidity.

 

[PyrPatriot]

Worth re-posting. Exactly my analysis

 

[DAVECS1]

L

It's a Gladiator. Not a $1,000,000 Trophy truck.

It's on the owner to understand the limits of their vehicle. Not FCA to pay for stupidity.

Like I stated, this is completely subjective, at this point. Trophy truck and stupidity are how you view that operation of a jeep. I have seen numerous farm vehicles do that on a weekly basis, some playing some trying to get back home. At the end of the day the machine is advertised as off pavement ready. If your gonna put stipulations on that..... that is fine but make it clear, and if you don't, be ready to work with your customer and help educate them and your company. Also wholesaling the entire vehicle warranty due to one event is pretty egregious. Are his seat belts now compromised?

 

[ZTMAN]

L

Like I stated, this is completely subjective, at this point. Trophy truck and stupidity are how you view that operation of a jeep. I have seen numerous farm vehicles do that on a weekly basis, some playing some trying to get back home. At the end of the day the machine is advertised as off pavement ready. If your gonna put stipulations on that..... that is fine but make it clear, and if you don't, be ready to work with your customer and help educate them and your company. Also wholesaling the entire vehicle warranty due to one event is pretty egregious. Are his seat belts now compromised?

Maybe this guy should have filed a warranty claim for a defective air bag and faulty suspension. Some people forgot to get in the intelligence line when they were handing out brains.

 

[Riccochet]

L

Like I stated, this is completely subjective, at this point. Trophy truck and stupidity are how you view that operation of a jeep. I have seen numerous farm vehicles do that on a weekly basis, some playing some trying to get back home. At the end of the day the machine is advertised as off pavement ready. If your gonna put stipulations on that..... that is fine but make it clear, and if you don't, be ready to work with your customer and help educate them and your company. Also wholesaling the entire vehicle warranty due to one event is pretty egregious. Are his seat belts now compromised?

Considering the electrical system of the vehicle was compromised, and everything is connected via canbus, yes, his seatbelts are now compromised.

The entire vehicle is going to be one giant gremlin of issues for the rest of it's life until the entire electrical system, every plug and connector, is gone over, cleaned, resealed and put back together. The rear axle locking up tells me shit soup made either messed up the lockers electronics or made its ways in to the axle via the breather tubes. Which then you have to open up the transfer case as well, just to make sure.

There is a lot of liability there that, quite frankly, the owner caused. Would the owner be in this situation had they went through that shit soup at 5-10 mph? Like the owners manual states. Most likely not.

 

[DAVECS1]

Like I stated previously, I have been on both sides of this argument. I broke an axle in my brand-new 2017 mustang using the launch control, instead of launching it myself. As I was out at the track and racing I decided to fix it myself and upgrade it at the same time. All my friends thought I was nuts, my wife was giving me crap cause it was a new car, and so on. Went to my dealer for a software recall and they asked about the shiney new axles they saw while changing the oil. Told them what happened and they said we would of covered that no problem, it is a sports car. IT is all subjective.

 

[Ravenron]

Driving through mud slowly to get through it is one thing. Plowing in to it at speed thereby forcing mud in to places that were not designed to handle mud is another.

You think they're stupid at dealers? That they haven't seen their share of vehicle abuse by Wrangler owners? Bringing in a vehicle where the entire engine bay is covered in mud is abuse. There's no way to warranty pretty much anything in the drivetrain or electrical system from that point forward. I suppose they could have only voided the drivetrain and electrical system warranties. Just so you can go get your broken glove box door replaced.

Hey guys...getting here late and still reading through the 18 pages of threads and not intending to point specifically to this post but it seems to be a theme...

Have any of you naysayers ever lived on or had to traverse a lot of gravel/dirt roads? These are actual, mapped roads but they get VERY wet and muddy with very little county or state maintenance. Travel at (or even significantly below) posted speeds on these roads will lead to all of the symptoms posted here - lots of splashing water, mud flying, mud in the engine bay and everywhere else. If these are my conditions, should I expect to lose my warranty as well? Traveling on roads such as these at 3-5 mph isn't feasible and can be dangerous to yourself and other traffic...in some areas it could even be considered illegal if you're impeding traffic. And it may not just be a single puddle but miles of puddles if it's raining/snowing a lot. These are the kinds of conditions I would be purchasing a Jeep-like vehicle for.

I guess I just haven't seen much that I would consider "abuse" by the OP and the punishment certainly doesn't seem to fit the crime. Charge him for the alternator - I get it, but to treat the vehicle like a salvaged flood recovery? Wow...that seems a stretch. Unfortunately, the OP is likely screwed...the decision has been made, the legal options are limited and will likely result in more loss of his hard earned $$$. It sounds to me like the first dealer got pissed cause he had it towed to another dealer and decided to "show him". Well, I guess they did. Hopefully, he can work something with his new dealer. I wish him the very best of luck.

Finally, I'm really surprised at the significant lack of empathy I've read on the previous pages for a fellow Jeeper/human being (certainly not everyone, but a lot). Some of the responses here are really just ugly...I mean, damn, do you HAVE to kick the guy in balls? Over and over? I'm pretty sure that most everyone on this site in a similar situation as the OP would request warranty coverage when their brand-new, $50k+, rugged, Trail-Rated, off-road, tough-as-nails truck quits after running through a puddle...and be pretty darn pissed off when it was denied.

Anyway...OP...I sincerely hope this settles out okay for you...take care and good luck...

 

[PyrPatriot]

Have any of you naysayers ever lived on or had to traverse a lot of gravel/dirt roads? These are actual, mapped roads but they get VERY wet and muddy with very little county or state maintenance. Travel at (or even significantly below) posted speeds on these roads will

I don't know what you mean by naysayers, but yes I have driven on roads as you described. My profile pic is a section of a county road

 

[Ravenron]

I don't know what you mean by naysayers, but yes I have driven on roads as you described. My profile pic is a section of a county road

By "naysayers" I was referring to those who classify driving the truck through mud puddles as abuse (especially when done so repeatedly). I just don't see much difference between that and traveling on poorly maintained dirt roads when it's raining other than one is for fun and the other is from necessity...

And I have to say...even my poor county is doing a better job of road maintenance than yours is! You definitely have a sporty commute!

 

[NBHRaven]

7/24/2020 - Purchased 2020 Jeep Gladiator RubiconI think it’s time to get a lawyer. Any suggestions?

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/o9bp/jeep-g...ckIU7Or8MPyDX96MYvAcmEA8iu4S1rB-AiJDmn-_9YERg
Show FCA and the dealerships this video. Maybe they’ll change their tone.

 

[PyrPatriot]

By "naysayers" I was referring to those who classify driving the truck through mud puddles as abuse (even when done so repeatedly). I just don't see much difference between that and traveling on poorly maintained dirt roads when it's raining other than one is for fun and the other is from necessity...

And I have to say...even my poor county is doing a better job of road maintenance than yours is! You definitely have a sporty commute!

Well, the speed limit is the fastest one should go on a road. You are expected to drive slower to maintain safe conditions. Just like when it rains and snows, you slow down in muddy/rutted conditions.

Yes, some of the roads get interesting. But they ARE roads and people do use them to get from A to B because the paved roads can take longer to get to places. And there are still technically small towns that the only way to g et to them is by rutted roads or creeks. My father-in-law has control of a bit of property where the only legal right of entry is going down a creek.

 

[PyrPatriot]

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/o9bp/jeep-g...ckIU7Or8MPyDX96MYvAcmEA8iu4S1rB-AiJDmn-_9YERg
Show FCA and the dealerships this video. Maybe they’ll change their tone.

That isn't a JT crashing into a puddle and throwing/forcing mud into the engine bay. I have a feeling Jeep is VERY careful when they contract out their ads to make sure any mud is either very watered down or on a flat surface

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