I posted this message in the stock JK thread, but know that it affects both owners of stock vehicles and modified vehicles, and more importantly, wanted to see if anyone else here is having this issue.

I have reached my limit with this issue, and feel it is time to band together to let Chrysler know how we feel about this. As always, if enough of us complain, they are much more likely to resolve the problem. Below is a copy of a letter that I drafted. My Service advisor is going to forward this to the regional representative, and I am also going to mail a copy to Chrysler. For the sake of saving everyone some time, I thought I would post the text I used so you could copy and paste it into your own letter and make any modifications as necessary.

__________________________________________________ __________


April 9, 2008


Chrysler LLC
P.O.Box 21-8007
Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8007


Re: Torque Converter Problems


I want to make a formal complaint regarding two issues I am having with my 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

Up to this point, I have worked extensively with Stuart Hall at Lithia Centennial Chrysler Jeep in Englewood Colorado. Both Stuart and the technicians at this facility have gone out of their way to assist in this matter, and I am more than satisfied with their service. The outcome, which I believe is out of their control, is less than acceptable.

It is apparent after reading many Jeep forums and talking to other owners of Jeep JK’s with automatic transmissions, that the problem I am experiencing is widely experienced by others. Most, if not all of these owners, are as frustrated as I am and are not having success finding any solutions.

It seems that both problems that I am having are related to the Torque Converter (TC). The first problem is a shudder that occurs. This has been addressed by Chrysler with TSB - Flash: Torque Converter Shudder / Shift Quality Improvements / DTC P0732 - REV. B . Lithia has had my Jeep periodically for a total of about four weeks to address this problem. They have performed multiple flashes per the TSB, and the TC has been replaced. Neither of these solutions has eliminated this shudder which occurs on cold starts when up-shifting from 1st to 2nd gear.

The second issue seems to also be related to the TC, and is the reason for my complete dissatisfaction of your product. When the Jeep is brand new, the TC is in a break-in period, and the effects of the TC lock up are diminished, if not completely eliminated. After a few thousand miles, the TC becomes more active in everyday driving, and this is when I realized that the Jeep I test drove is not actually the Jeep that I was going to own for the next several years. Essentially, the TC engages prematurely, and fails to disengage under slight acceleration. I can not get the TC to disengage without applying close to wide-open throttle, which makes the Jeep downshift into 2nd gear. Needless to say, this does not provide a pleasant casual driving experience. This irritating loss of RPM’s seems to be exaggerated when driving up slight inclines, which is the exact time that you need to keep engine speed higher to maintain momentum on the hills. In order for me to progressively shift through the gears and keep the TC disengaged, I need to essentially have the accelerator pedal completely depressed.

My wife and I have now owned a Jeep TJ with a manual transmission and two Jeep Grand Cherokee’s with V8 automatics. Neither of these automatics, nor any other automatic I have ever driven has a TC that acts this way. In fact, I have never actually felt the TC engage in any vehicle until now. I now own a Jeep that I would prefer not to own, and feel that Chrysler needs to find a solution for this problem, or take the Jeep back and return my money.

Please address this problem and reply to me accordingly.



Regards,

 

Thanks. I agree that this is a problem that is very frustrating, and the only way anything will happen --as always-- is if enough people complain.

FYI, I just sent in my own version of your formal complaint.

 

x2...Great letter, I hope that makes an impact for Chysler to finally find a permanent fix...About how many miles did you have on your Jeep that you realized you started having that problem....Thanks...

 

Gonna go ahead and repost this in this thread too.... mine started (on both the 07 and 08) at about 2000-2500 miles. Just when the TC got good and broken in....


Add me to the growing list... my 2008 with 5045 miles has been doing this for at least the past 2500 of them. Funny thing is that my 2007 with the POS package did this same thing. I live in hilly terrain, low speed limits - and this is driving me crazy.

I can deal with (and i have ALL of these) wind noise, leaky tops (freedom & soft), rough ride, scratchy plastic, TICKING engine, hood bounce, and the host of other "jeep thing" problems our JKs have .... but when it comes to drivabiltiy issues with a vehicle i start getting pissed. like some others have said, if i drive it like a bat-outta-hell then its all good, but then that means i'm reving it to about 4000 rmps and getting 12MPG

i feel like the dealership thinks that i am causing all these problems... since i already had one JK replaced - now problems are surfacing with the replacement... UUUUGGGG... gonna probably take it in to the dealer some time this week - guess we'll see.

 

I too have experienced these issues. Sucks big time!! I have been to the dealership to have the PCM flash done. That improved the shift points dramatically, but sadly the shudder still exists. I am now going in Monday to have the TC replaced. I am am not holding my breath that this will resolve my issues. I will then have exhausted plan A and B. I also have a plan C. Let me know what you guys think. I have been reading online regarding these issues with Jeeps and many other autos out there. Other folks have tried a substance called "Dr Tranny's Instant Shudder Fixx" This product is made by Lubegard. It costs about 6.00 per 2 ounce application. I have not read one bad review about it. Everyone who has used it says that it has taken care of their shudder issues instantly. One person even went so far as to say 5K+ miles and still no shudder. I have not read about anyone using it specifically on a newer Jeep Wrangler, however someone did mention using it on a 2005 Cherokee. I can't imagine our trannys would be that much different. Let me know what you guys think. My Dr. Tranny should be arriving any day now. I will let you all know how it works.

 

Did you look at the TSB for this?

There is a TSB for this problem.

 

Yes, I saw the TSB on this. Brought the Jeep in to the dealer at least six times over the course of about six months. The most recent time was AFTER I had written an earlier e-mail to the Chrysler customer service. One of their reps called, then called the dealer, and told me to make an appointment and everything would be taken care of.

So, I made an appointment with about two weeks' notice. I foolishly assumed that the dealer ordered a new TC and at the end of the day, I would be good to go. I was wrong. All they did was they same old test drive. "Nope, nothing's wrong with your vehicle. Our tech could not duplicate the problem."

So, for the second time in six visits, I drove the tech with his diagnostic machine plugged into the dash. Again for the second time, after driving around for a while, I was able to bring the vibration at around 1300 RPMs, especially around a few small hills. The tech acknowledged that his machine showed that the TC was sticking (or whatever you call it) and showed a shifting problem. So what did they do? A flash. Again.

Now that the weather is nicer, it is not as much of a problem, but I know that as soon as it gets cold again, it will REALLY start pissing me off. That is why I sent out this second, more formal complaint.

 

Can somebody please explain this to me. Around 4000 miles ago my Jeep decided to start having issues shifting from 1-2 (like a mist shift in a manual). During this same time when driving the Jeep when ever it revs it sounds like loose sheet metal, ticking or something coming from the drivers side engine bay. Is this the issue at hand? BTW I was told this is normal by Jeep and it is a new sound to a breaking in motor.

 

So how does everyone feel about Dr Tranny? From what I understand it is a friction modifier and that it is approved for use by all american auto makers.

 

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