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Shifting delay and sputtering up hills

15K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  4whljunkie89 
#1 ·
I have a 2012 jeep grand Cherokee overland with a v8 hemi. It has less than 5k miles. I'm having a few issues:
1. There is a long pause when shifting from 1st to 2nd and then to 3rd. Long in that I've never been in a car that takes that long to shift.
2. At low speeds, especially up a slight incline or on an on-ramp where you just have your foot barely on the gas, the engine surges. The tach is at 1000 rpm and I can see the needle bouncing up and down a bit.
3. When driving up a hill on the highway I feel the engine almost misfiring or sputtering. Initially thought it was the gas but I've tried every grade with no change. I can feel it through the seat.

Dealer supposedly updated some software but still having theses issues.

Anyone having similar experiences and if so what are the fixes?
 
#2 ·
My 2012 Limited with 5.7 has issue number 3 in your list. I haven't yet talked to the dealer about it, but will do so soon. I'm not expecting a quick fix, because quite a few Jeep owners on this forum seem to have the same problem and are being told that no fix is available so live with it.
 
#6 ·
I have had this problem with my Laredo Hemi, dont know why. Has 24,000 miles on it. Just like yours, not sure what to do. Dealer did update last year but it didn't help. Its not bad and I really don't think about it now. My wife's does it too. Maybe they will come up with another update.
 
#7 ·
Yep mines a 2011, has the tach surging sometimes, and also shudders/misfires whatever you want to call it from 40+ (essentially OD gear) when you let off the gas, and then hold your speed, especially up a slight incline. Talk on the forums from a few who have brought it in to dealers are thats its MDS related and the torque converter, "normal" operation junk.
 
#8 ·
So basically you're saying there is no fix? The other thing that is happening is that I feel a slight bump or thump as I accelerate in first gear. It isn't every time but often. I saw someone describe it as something hitting the back of the trunk when accelerating. Finally, there has been two occasions where I started the truck and it lurched forward a bit. Anyone have that issue?
 
#9 ·
According to the tech at my dealership the thump is normal as I brought mine in for that problem. I finally traded my Jeep in last month and cannot be happier about it, I couldn't accept that all these drivability issues were "normal".
 
#10 · (Edited)
I have a 2012 jeep grand Cherokee overland with a v8 hemi. It has less than 5k miles. I'm having a few issues:
1. There is a long pause when shifting from 1st to 2nd and then to 3rd. Long in that I've never been in a car that takes that long to shift.
2. At low speeds, especially up a slight incline or on an on-ramp where you just have your foot barely on the gas, the engine surges. The tach is at 1000 rpm and I can see the needle bouncing up and down a bit.
3. When driving up a hill on the highway I feel the engine almost misfiring or sputtering. Initially thought it was the gas but I've tried every grade with no change. I can feel it through the seat.

Dealer supposedly updated some software but still having theses issues.

Anyone having similar experiences and if so what are the fixes?
These problems are the norm among us JGC owners. Chrysler is not doing anything about it and they are calling it normal. No gas grade change or change of any part is going to "fix" it. It is a design flaw that you have to learn to live with or get rid of your JGC and go with something that was engineered better. The only hope is that an aftermarket company will develop a performance chip that changes the shift points to stop these symptoms. It was designed this way to get the gas mileage numbers to satisfy the government gas mileage regulations. Thank your elected reps in November if you don't agree with thier decisions.:cool:
 
#14 ·
Forum search, its been discussed and supposedly normal when its locked from previous stop, it unlocks to reset to the correct position and thats when it lurches forward.
 
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