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11k miles and blown Transmission

7K views 39 replies 28 participants last post by  BJ1980 
#1 ·
I was driving in the city today doing 35mph when my "check engine light" illuminated and made a "ping" notification sound. I thought that was odd so I pulled over, put the car in park, and turned her off and back on again. Same issue. I called my dealer and scheduled to drop the Jeep off tomorrow morning and let them have it till friday afternoon (leaving for work anyway).

I merged onto the highway to go home and tried to accelerate. I heard a very disgruntled engine noise and my RPM's redlined. The vehicle would not go more than 35-40mph and no higher than 4th gear. Multiple attempts to downshift and fix it with no resolve. I ended up slowly limping off of the highway and noticed that as I was pulling into the parking lot I was in 4th gear at around 6mph.

Ended up having to get it towed to the dealership. Service advisor said it might be the computer or they may need to replace the entire transmission on it.

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. 11,770 miles. Purchased October 2013.

I think this might be my final straw with Jeep. I might have drawn the short straw with my vehicle as I dont think anyone has had as many problems with theirs as I have. However, for the amount this vehicle costs it just doesnt seem worth it anymore.
 

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#2 ·
Let me take a wild guess....v6 right? man this is not good. my q's is why did Chrysler even have to touch the 8spd? I've heard because of torque reasons. this doesn't even make since to me since the v8 and diesel(most torque) are directly bolted on w/out even a touch of a finger of an engineer from Chrysler. I don't get it.....
 
#3 ·
Let me take a wild guess....v6 right? man this is not good. my q's is why did Chrysler even have to touch the 8spd? I've heard because of torque reasons. this doesn't even make since to me since the v8 and diesel(most torque) are directly bolted on w/out even a touch of a finger of an engineer from Chrysler. I don't get it.....
that was going to be my exact question which one. all my money is bet on the v6. and the answer is?????
 
#8 ·
Yep...stories like this just further confirm that the V6 transmissions have issues, and Chrysler doesn't know how to fix it.

This is my second 2014 GC V6 which has had transmission issues...at about 5,000 miles I started to get the dreaded hard downshift into 1st with my current Overland.

That's why I decided to forgo purchasing an extended warranty, and just get rid of this vehicle before the warranty expires. Then it's "Hasta la Vista" Jeep forever.

:moon:
 
#9 ·
Yep...stories like this just further confirm that the V6 transmissions have issues, and Chrysler doesn't know how to fix it.
It doesn't confirm anything yet. At least wait until they diagnose it before you throw fuel on the fire.

I'm not saying it's not the transmission, but it could just as easily be a module that is external to the transmission.

If it turns out to be the tranny, have a field day. We all know you don't like it, with good reason.


BTW - just wondering if you are keeping track of the number of 'anti tranny' posts you have made. I'm not suggesting you should slow down as it is a good outlet for your frustration ... much better than kicking the dog. But if you would number them, it would be easier for those doing research to distinguish the difference between the number of negative posts and the number of actual problems. :)


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#10 ·
Do know the trans used with a 6 is lighter duty than the one for the Hemi or Diesel but something is bothering me. With a 1.6:1 4th you should get close to 70 mph at 4000 rpm, so it may say "4th" but sounds more like 2nd which may be the issue.

Will say that the 5 speed in my '12 has been used by Merc since the last century and is pleanty to tow a 3500 lb trailer. Somehow the need for an 8 speed with a flat torque curve from 2000-6300 rpm excapes me.
 
#11 ·
I guess I lead a charmed life. I have an early build (April '13), and have had no problems at all with the tranny. I haven't had any of the software updates done for the tranny, and only the instrument cluster tsb and an oil change done. Still need to get the brake booster recall done. I drive city, highway, and a little off road (no rock crawling), and it's been as smooth as silk.
 
#13 ·
UPDATE:

It wasnt the transmission. After inspection, they located the problem. The tech at the previous Jeep dealer who did my oil change put 2 O rings on the oil filter instead of 1. This created a gap that allowed oil to flow out. When my check engine light came on and the engine suddenly stopped delivering power, it was going into "self preservation mode" to protect the engine.

They did a complete oil change, fixed the problem, and ended up having to clean the entire engine compartment cause there was oil everywhere (the dealer that performed the botched oil change paid for that).

My question is, when my check engine light came on I looked at my EVIC and it showed my oil life at 53%. Shouldnt it have said something closer to 0%. Especially since I was within a month of an oil change anyway
 
#14 ·
UPDATE:

It wasnt the transmission. After inspection, they located the problem. The tech at the previous Jeep dealer who did my oil change put 2 O rings on the oil filter instead of 1. This created a gap that allowed oil to flow out. When my check engine light came on and the engine suddenly stopped delivering power, it was going into "self preservation mode" to protect the engine.
That's good news. I'd consider that a feature, not a bug.

Great that it's only an oil change and a detail of the engine compartment than a transmission.
 
#17 ·
I have a 2014 Grand Cherokee without any apparent transmission problems. I've had the reflashes done but no actual problems. I actually think the tranny issue is blown out of proportion by a few unlucky ones. The lighter duty 8 speed tranny isn't new either, it was new to the Jeep but it has been used in the Chargers / 300C since the 2012 model year with the SE (optional) and the SXT (standard) trims.
 
#19 ·
Although I researched my 14' Altitude purchase in great lengths, I still pulled the trigger on it back in April. I read nearly every negative post regarding the 8spd trans but made a firm conclusion. Many posts created were repeats from people with the trans issue just venting about the same issue in a different written way.

I think a lot of times an easy target is the trans. But for the most part, there are probably many internet readers doing searches about the JGC like many of us have prior to purchase. The problem is they don't get the chance to read the end result. They click on a link pointing to a forum like this with real users and only see thread titles, or read the first few posts. Not knowing the actual end result. Hence, creating a negative impression for the person researching.

Again, I'm glad to see the real issue from what originally was thought to be the trans.


Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage
 
#24 ·
agree completely, I do it mainly as a time saver and piece of mind. 20 minutes instead of a few hours of bumbling fools who could care less. but $50 for a full synthetic oil change with Amazon dropping the oil jugs and filter on your door step does save over what a dealer would charge. ive tried letting them do it and just too many screw ups and waiting around
 
#25 ·
Another reason for vehicles to go 100% electric.....
 
#27 ·
When I was 19, doing probably my third oil change ever, this happened to me. The o-ring stuck on and I didn't realize it because it was hard to see based on the oil filter placement. It struck me as odd that as much as I tightened the new oil filter, it never seemed tight, but what did I know.

I started up the car and backed it out of the driveway and quickly noticed a stream of oil down the center of the driveway. I immediately got a towel and soaked up what I could while freaking out thinking about what my dad's reaction would be - but because it was brand new clean oil, whatever was left eventually evaporated and didn't leave a stain.

That said, you only make that mistake once! I also have no clue how an experienced tech at a dealership made that mistake, but I probably answered my own question.
 
#30 · (Edited)
If I recall it would be very difficult on the V6 to get two O-Rings because it goes in a groove. You have to work to get the old one off. And get the new one on. I can this happening on the old canister type if the O-ring stuck to the engine.

But this V6 it's really hard to screw that up.

Yes do you own oil change. Saves me time and money.

You can see the O-Ring on the left close to the "Cap" at the top of the threads.



 
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