farmkid

Please bear me; I'm sure these problems have been mentioned here before but I am strung out and stressed out over this Jeep.

I purchased a 2011 Anniversary Edition Jeep Sahara in Mango Tango. It's fully loaded, matching hard top, leather seats, nice sound system, etc, etc. I bought it brand new in July 2011. I have been a loyal Jeep customer and I decided to trade my old Jeep in while it was still worth something. This purchase took a great deal of consideration and it was a present to myself for graduating college. I purchased another Jeep because, well, Jeep owners are proud of what they drive, where its made, etc.

PROBLEM #1: Shortly after purchasing this Jeep i noticed a leak in the freedom-top, not just one leak but TWO. It was leaking heavily just above the rear view mirror, onto the dash and then down over my radio. The second leak was occuring out of the freedom-top and onto the passenger side door and onto my seats. I had not removed the Freedom-Top yet and it was exactly how it left the factory. I didnt think much of it and eventually the leaking stopped. Then a few months down the road it started pouring all over the dash again. At this point i took it to the nearest dealership and had them fix it. According to the invoice they replaced the gaskets, sealed the windshield, etc. I have not seen it leak on the passenger side door since those first few weeks of ownership. The weirdest part of it is that it leaks on the dash typically when i brake to slow down for a stoplight. Water comes pouring in onto the dash and radio. It rained for the first time in a good long while over the weekend. I got in, drove off, and water started pouring in again. I have not removed the freedom-top since it was last at the dealership to get fixed. Now i'm beyond ticked off. The jeep is back in for the 2nd time to get fixed today and I am currently reading up on my lemon laws.

Problem #2: A family member purchased a nice set of rubber floor mats for this Jeep when i first purchased it. Working on a farm, I needed them,so they were immediately installed. Upon the time the leak in the hard-top started back up; my jeep was due for a good vacuuming. I removed the mats to wash them and vacuum the carpet. What i found was my passenger side floor sopping wet. The drivers side is still OK. Im guessing the floor has been wet since the day i drove off with it and now i'm waiting for the mold/mildew to set in. On top of that I'm now panicking that my floors and rockers will be rotting out of the passenger side at a rapid rate. This issue was addressed with the dealership when it was brought back for the roof leak. It was supposed to be fixed. We just had a major Nor'Easter storm and upon noticing the roof leaking again, i got out to go feel the passenger side floor. What i found made me livid. I lifted the mat up and pushed down on te carpet to have my hand submerged in water. The jeep dealership immediately recieved a phone call and today it is in AGAIN to have the issue addressed. Once again; im reading up on the lemon laws and I am fully prepared to ensure this issue is fixed in its entirety or we will need to take other action.

Problem #3: I recieved a recall notice for a computer glitch in the jeep. The jeep was returned to the dealership to have the computer "flashed" and to take care ofthe recall issue. After this occured; i noticed a rattling noise that was very apparent especially when accelerating. It sounded like a chassis, metal rattle. It was also sucking gas, getting poor mileage, and had absolutely no will to GO. My boyfriend is a full-time mechanic and he took it for a drive and said it was very loud "pinging" coming from the engine. He told me to run a higher grade gas and see if it helped. As soon as i put superior gas in it, the pinging stopped, the jeep wanted to go again, i am now averaging 20mpg highway and backroad, etc. Gee, thanks jeep for fixing the recall but now im spending twice as much on gas (that its not supposed to run on) so my jeep will run properly

Im at a loss, i dont know where to go from here. I have kept all invoices of work done and I am not confident that the leaks will be fixed. I am worried about the longevity of the vehicle. I paid 30,000+ for this vehicle (which is a lot for a jeep) and I feel like have been absolutely screwed. Has anyone had to deal with dealerships/chrysler and what are your recommendations. If this Jeep has to go in 2 more times to have this issue resolved; I will be going for the Lemon Law. I have wasted more time dropping this jeep off and fussing with it's issues; its not worth it. Im late to work and so is the person who has to pick me up and drop me off. Please; if youve dealt with this, please help me out. Thanks much

OzarkOutdoors

Wet passenger side carpet sounds to me like AC condensation and personally I would KILL for 20 MPG.

The only time my freedom top leaked is when I didn't put it back in properly and the gaskets didn't overlap.

Don't give up on your JK just yet....

farmkid

Hey;

Thanks for the reply. Being from New England; we're just coming into Spring so it's definately no AC condensation because we havent had the chance to use it yet this year! The floor is like a Pond and it's heavily soaked; not just mere condensation. Since I have never witnessed any water on the plastic peice next to the rocker; the water must be coming in elsewhere?? I just got the jeep back from the dealership last night and that have been good to deal with. Theyre honest with what theyve done and they tell me everytime i bring it there; what they did to try to fix the problem. Yesterday they replaced all of the rubber in the freedom-top. The previous time i went; they injected the rubber with an expanding agent but that didnt work. The top was put back on by the dealership and was not removed by me and it started to leak all ove the radio/dash again.

Yesterday they also looked at the passenger side door and claimed there was something wrong with the gasket. We inspected it heavily when this first started to occur and didnt see any issues. I also noticed that they ommitted that repair from the invoice....grrr. When i picked it up yesterday they told me the floor was really, really wet and they did the best they could to vacuum it up. They washed and detailed the jeep before I picked it up and when i arrived home i noticed my drivers side floor is now damp near the rocker...

Im going to take a blow drier and dry the floors tonight and wait for the next rain. My uncle has the same jeep and he went through this same issue. After the 3rd or 4th time; they replaced his Jeep. I hope it doesnt come down to that because i love my Mango Tango jeep and they dont make that color anymore! I just dont want moldy, smelly floors in a few months and I think thats whats going to happen

Will keep everyone updated.

rooster1976

Stand on ladder and look at the top of freedom panels....if they don't look flat or sealed correctly.they can be put on where it does not seal good. My opinion on floorboard is water is coming from firewall when driving in rain water. I might be wrong but my 2 cents.....

MFX

I too have an occasional leak which I believe may have caused, just like you, the soaked carpet on the passenger floor. jeep performed the same gasket replacement for the hard top but I still have drips every now and then buy I've grown used to it. Nothing a glove box full of napkins won't take care of. With regards to the floor carpets, I just yanked them out. No more wet carpets and no more vacuuming for me

20 MPG??? I don't even get that coasting downhill with zero head wind.
I'm lucky to hit 14-15 at a mix of city/highway. If 91 octane yielded me 20mpgs, no way I'd complain about the difference in cost

I used to be a very picky, OCD type individual when it comes to having everything just right with my vehicles. Since I've owned my Jeep I tend to just shrug my shoulders and walk away. Life is good!

Gforce!

Well, unfortunately I don't have the freedom top. BUT, my soft top has had the same issues. About a month ago, my brother accidentally pulled the weather stripping out of the top of my passenger side door (he's short and grabbed the top of the door to not fall out of the jeep). When it rained, my passenger floorboard became a lake. So, if they haven't checked the door, it might be a good idea. However, if it is for sure the top which is leaking, the good man before me has it right.

Also, what octane rating are you running? I get 17 mpg if I baby it, going downhill :P

drivingfool

You need to do water tests to isolate where the leak is.

- Remove the carpet, it masks the problem. big pain in the ass, i know.

- conduct water tests so you can reproduce the failure. Get a helper on a ladder with a garden hose to spray around (gently, a spray not a jet) using different angles (head on, side, rear, etc).

-get some moisture detection paper, lay it in the foot vents so you can get an indicator if this is coming from your hvac.

If you can reproduce the problem you can beat it.

As for the pinging, how's your jeep on oil? start checking the stick, because you need to know. check it weekly/every other fillup, whichever comes first.


everyone that owns a jeep deals with leaks at some point. don't sweat it sister.

good luck!

jeepdog59

I've just been through your leak problems with my '10 The water comes in the corner of the door nearest the windshield.It will drip down the floor sill and roll right under the slush mat without even getting them wet,After numerous trips to my dealer,many gaskets being replaced ,starting last August.They gave up on it and called in the factory tech.The problem was the gaskets have to be installed EXACTLY right or they will leak again.The dealers have a 36 page manual telling them how to install them,which in my opinion is 30 pages to long.
Anything that can't be explained in 6-8 pages won't be fully understood by the average mechanic.Since the factory tech fixed it a moth ago I have had no more leaks.
Chances are your dealer repaired it improperly.

jeepdog59

If you go back to the postings in 07-09 on this particular problem you'll see how bad the problem was back then.After reading those posts you'll wonder how these people didn't drown in their Jeeps! On the positive side the roof leaks will help put out the fire when your jeep burst into flames from whatever that problem is about!

Blakspire

Buy yourself some cold ones, pull the carpet and get drunk. Works for me.