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Class action lawsuit against Chrysler

12K views 38 replies 17 participants last post by  Kinsman74 
#1 ·
I think its time some serious legal action needs to be taken against Chrysler in regards to the bad 8 speed transmissions. They know they have a bad product and the band aid TSB's are not working.
 
#2 ·
I'm not saying this because my 8 spd is working fine, and has since the beginning. Class action lawsuits have a way of making lawyers rich, and not much else.
 
#3 · (Edited)
im in! :mad:

my jeep has been in the shop for about a week with ongoing tranny and gauge cluster problems.

I already have a case open with Chrysler and so far had a new steering rack installed at 345 miles and this is my second trip in for tranny and electrical glitches. Currently have 2k on the odo.

Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage
 
#7 ·
Oh they know they have issues. They're just turning the corporate blind eye towards it at this time. Throwing another $266M at Kokomo to build more transmissions doesn't mean much if they aren't fixing the issues in the ones currently being built.
 
#16 ·
So question. If some of us are so unhappy with the vehicle we drive and the dealer either cannot fix the vehicle or does not have the supported software to do so what do we think our options are? We have 3.
#1 trade the vehicle or sell it.
#2 live with the symptom and wait for a fix because we like our "jeep" that much.
#3 start the arbitration process through the factory after 3 repair visits and seek buy back so u don't have to deal with it anymore. Final result not owning a Jeep product until u are satisfied there aren't any other problems. Soon the diesel will be released in a wrangler. What issues will that have? Not sure but Mopar isn't scared to take that leap in order to get a product out there that people want and work with them to fix any issues that may arise that they didn't fix in R&D.
Each of these vehicles have his or her own issues in some way. Some symptoms are similar some are completely different.
Think of this analogy: how many of us have "ever" experienced driving a 8 or 9 speed transmission vehicle in any car we have ever owned prior to this one? No many of us I can promise u. That being said no matter how this transmission acts it WILL feel different to u when up shifting or downshifting at any rate. Not only does the adaptive system have to learn your throttle and braking habits to stay in the optimum gear but you have to learn the vehicle also. These transmissions were developed in order to help adhere to the long term fuel economy goals our government is putting on car manufacturers. This will be an ongoing issue for other manufacturers soon also once they catch up to the Mopar electronics. The electronics in these vehicle have far surpassed most other manufacturers and truth is there are bugs in the software just like my IPhone. They will eventually be worked out but these cars are over 95% controlled by computers now when only 10 years ago that number was less than 80%.
"Your" dealer should road test the vehicle with you confirm the symptom, check for the latest software version installed. If the latest version is installed the adaptive relearn procedure should be done first. This process could take a couple of hrs on the road teaching this transmission how to act "if u get what I'm saying". After that the dealer should road test with u upon pickup to ensure the vehicle is shifting better for u. However keep in mind every time a software update or relearn has been done the vehicle has to learn your driving habits also. Around town or highway etc etc.
If the transmission symptom has not yet been resolved after these steps replacing the transmission valve body replacement has fixed certain symptoms. If after that repair the symptom is still there a transmission should be ordered and the unit replaced regardless of the software there may be a problem in the transmission itself that no software update can fix. Hence the comment about different symptoms at times with different vehicles.
Chrysler jeep is aware of the problems with these units and are working diligently to fix the problems associated with electronics that they have put in these cars.
How do I know this information? I'm fairly sure u have figured out by now lol. Thanks for reading. Sorry it's so long God Bless and happy Jeeping.
 
#21 ·
I'm still experiencing hard shifts when the trans is cold for at least the first 10 minute or so, how does my driving habits contribute to that? I had the last flash done in October, it did fix the dead spot when accelerating but still have hard shift from 2-1 and 1-2 and when cold. It's going back in on Monday for the latest flash.
 
#22 ·
I agree will everyone totally. Truth is Chrysler knows they have an increasing response from dealers with customer shifting concerns so they are working to try and correct the issue. Just like other manufacturers are trying to correct their issues with their cars. It is an automobile. Our options are just like I posted in my original response. Keep it and wait for a repair or get rid of it and buy something else with a "normal" transmission in it that hopefully the manufacturer has worked out "all" the bugs in that to.
 
#24 ·
Whomever said that the owners driving habits is "causing" the harsh shift symptom is inaccurate. The way you drive your vehicle will not cause the harsh 1-2 2-1 shift characteristic. The adaptive system learns your driving style and tries to stay in an optimum gear (out of the 8-9 gears available now) in order to maximize power and fuel economy. For example you can let someone else drive your vehicle for a week then u get back in a drive it and you could quite possibly feel a difference in how it drives or at what RPM it shifts. It won't cause it to shift harshly necessarily it just may shift at different times or values based on rpm and load. This system is very complex and continuously monitors throttle pressure, braking etc. I have seen software updates fix some, valve bodies fix some and ultimately complete transmissions fix some. But in the end they have all been fixed with one repair or the other. Cold symptoms specifically I have not heard of as of yet which is why some vehicles require different levels of repair and doing the same thing for every car with an issue won't fix them all.
 
#32 ·
I posted this in a different thread but it seems that it now fits in here too:

~*~*~*~*~*~*

2014 Limited
- Purchased Oct 2013
- Numerous visits to dealer in attempt to resolve steering wheel and vehicle vibration
- Wheel bearings, tires, rims, road force balance didn't help
- Repurchased in April 2014

2014 Overland
- Purchased April 2014
- Fine for about 3 months then steering wheel and vehicle vibration started
- 3 visits to dealer for balancing, road force balancing and bearings, some improvement but still exists from time to time
- (Most Recent Issue) Started Dec 2014, start car, shift to Reverse or Drive, car automatically shifts back into Park. Car was gone for 1 week first time before it was "resolved". Come again last week, issue came back again. Car was gone again for another week. Picked it up last night, all seemed well. Started it this morning, issue is back.

These cars are piles of shit. Is my opinion skewed because I got not 1 but 2 bad ones? Absolutely. I traded in a Ford Edge with absolutely no issue other than paint rust. I'm so sick of these damn issues it's not even funny. Nobody and I mean nobody should have to visit a service department 15 times in 1 year, 3 months and 10 days (not that I'm counting).

I can't wait to get Jeep #2 repurchased as well and get away from this nightmare of a manufacture.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

I guess you can add me to the list of people with transmission problems. I had these issues on my first car as well, but they ended up correcting it (eventually). This current car is just shifting baaaaaaad and rough. If this is truly "adaptive", then it really needs to pickup the learning curve, quickly.

I, like someone else stated, have absolutely no confidence in this car. I honestly feel like I paid the price of a new car but bought a used vehicle since it's in the shop all the damn time.

These cars are just no good. For those with one that works great, you should play the lottery more often and consider yourself lucky.

Not that Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram will ever notice the financial difference of care, but they have lost a customer for life.
 
#33 ·
Wow, you had your share of luck with yours! Horror story.
Doesn't look representative to me though to be honest.
My wife would never notice anything.
Probably us Jeep drivers are more technical by nature vs. Hyundai,
Kia... buyers, therefore we're finding all these darn issues with our vehicles?
 
#35 ·
My 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is perfect. It has a CEL which is related to an oxygen sensor but I don't care (stupid hippy crap).

My 2010 Jeep Commander Limited 4X4 HEMI is also perfect...... BUT I was and still am furious as to how Chrysler handled the N23 fiasco. They finally fixed their awful programming of the FDCM which cured our 4-LO issues. It took them over a year to fix it and they did so very quietly. They released a TSB and didn't send any kind of notice even though the original N23 recall broke every single Commander's 4x4 4-low. They should be ashamed.

I see a very strong parallel between the N23 atrocity and the "adaptive transmissions" you guys are having problems with. It boils down to shoddy programming and a lack of accountability.
 
#36 ·
Holy crapola! You mean the 8 speed is as bad as the 9 speed? I have been looking at Grand Cherokees after FCA finally admitted to me 3 months and 10 service appointments later that my Cherokee Trailhawk will never drive on the beach very far without overheating. They offered me a small discount on a different model but so far that amounts to me taking a $12,000 dollar beating and my Trailhawk is only 8 months old!
 
#37 · (Edited)
Sorry, no comparison. The 8 speed in the GC is not even close to as bad as the 9 speed. Fewer complaints, and much less severe.

Most people have no issue with the 8 speed and those that do typically complain that shifts aren't as smooth as they'd like. Compare that to the trouble you see on the Cherokee forums. Not even close.

I own one of each so I'm screwed either way. :) So far, thankfully, both have been excellent, though the 9 is "quirky" compared to the 8.
 
#38 ·
100% agree, however, it's not as if the transmission was not working period.
I'd consider it dangerous at times for the default ECO mode (2014 model).
Best if you vote with your wallet, tell all your friends not to purchase a Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA), there is plenty of choice...
Myself while liking the utility of the SUV I'd only ever consider one with a turbo diesel engine, probably VW. If a 6cyl. gasoline engine than probably Honda Pilot or Acura MDX.
 
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