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Could I have made a mistake?

7K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  Curly 
#1 ·
It starts snowing before lunch time and is still snowing right now. When I’m ready to leave work around 5:20 I remote start the Overland. After 15 minutes I go out and it’s all warmed up, the seat is warm, the steering wheel is warm, the rear defroster has done its job and all is good with the world. That is until I drive about three miles in snow mode. I get this warning that I need “immediate air suspension service” and all of the sudden the Jeep starts to ride like it has no suspension whatsoever. It’s bouncing over the smallest bumps in the road like they are foot deep pot holes. The select terrain system and the air suspension have died. When you try to change the setting you get the message “service air suspension system” (not surprising) and nothing happens. The ride is so rough I think the Jeep is going to bounce itself into pieces. I’m driving in a pretty bad snow storm so I’m not stopping no matter what the dash says. I know I should stop but I’m more than a little pissed, after all this is a brand new car. On top of the suspension going dead the automatic wipers are also going crazy. The snow and any spray from cars was pretty constant but the wipers are cycling from full speed to normal to almost never wiping (I’d have to hit the switch to get them going again) and repeating this over and over. After driving for about three or four miles like this, everything went back to normal. The suspension started working just as it has for the past three weeks and after a while the wipers went back to working as they should. I don’t think the two things are related they just happened around the same time. I would hope there is a code stored for what happened to the air suspension but doubt there is anything on the wipers so good luck getting that sorted out. So I’m wondering “Could I have made a mistake” in buying this car?
 
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#2 ·
I would hope there is a code stored for what happened to the air suspension but doubt there is anything on the wipers so good luck getting that sorted out. So I’m wondering “Could I have made a mistake” in buying this car?
Maybe it's pissed that you debadged it.

Seriously, please report in with whatever findings come from the dealer (assuming you're taking it in or at least calling them). As part of a rain-sensing system, the wiper behavior may have actually thrown a code. Glad you made it home ok.
 
#4 ·
Maybe it's pissed that you debadged it.
That's what I was thinking.

I probably won't get it to the dealer until next week (I have a full day at work tomorrow), hope it has no other problems until then. I’ll report back then.
 
#3 ·
Sound like some kind of weird electrical glitch.

On the other hand, more than a few people mentioned that the air suspension could be problematic. I'm NOT saying that's the case....because most people haven't reported any problems with it, but I'm sure that doesn't make you feel any better right now.
 
#5 ·
Curly, check all your fuses to ensure they're all snugly in place. I believe the transfer case, QL and the wipers have a common fuse that is not listed as such on the fuse table, but I recall someone talking (not on a forum, literally speaking I mean) about their QL at a party New Years Eve and how they simultaneously had a wiper problem too when they got a warning like you did. All I remember was their fuse cover was open & damp and that was the fix. It's worth a look anyway, right?
 
#7 ·
Curly, check all your fuses to ensure they're all snugly in place. I believe the transfer case, QL and the wipers have a common fuse that is not listed as such on the fuse table, but I recall someone talking (not on a forum, literally speaking I mean) about their QL at a party New Years Eve and how they simultaneously had a wiper problem too when they got a warning like you did. All I remember was their fuse cover was open & damp and that was the fix. It's worth a look anyway, right?
Thanks for the tip Bmwister, I'll check this out. That's whats great about this forum, more real information than you could find anyplace else.
 
#6 · (Edited)
So I’m wondering “Could I have made a mistake” in buying this car?
IMO, it's probably a glitch that can be easily fixed. Honestly, this could be a problem that a $60K BMW or Mercedes that could experience. Why are you so eager to blame the Jeep before even giving your service department a chance to fix the problem? I would understand (a little) if this was a recurring problem or if there were others that had the same problem that went unresolved, but this doesn't seem to be the case. You are experiencing an isolated incident and you need to take your Jeep to the dealer.

If you just wanted to vent, well, that's fine. But did you make a mistake buying the GC? I don't think so.

Let us all know how it goes after you take your car to the dealer. Until then, I don't think it's fair to bash what I think is a very fine vehicle.

BTW, mine is perfect and I wouldn't trade it for a X5, ML350, LR4, Q7, et al.
 
#8 ·
I hear you MeanDean, I too love the Grand Cherokee. I am doing some venting, but at the same time I'm not going to say it’s ok to have what I would say is a major problem with a major system in a three week old car even if it is isolated. I hope it's something simple that I will never have to think about again. I wouldn't trade the Grand for any of the rides you listed, after-all; I could have bought any of them in the first place but chose the Grand.
 
#9 ·
Hmm, i dont like it when things only sometimes work. They should work or break. It gives me a bad feeling when things like you had happens.

I hope the error codes are in the memory and that the dealer can fix the problem.
 
#11 ·
Hmm, i dont like it when things only sometimes work. They should work or break. It gives me a bad feeling when things like you had happens.
That's why electrical glitches are such a pain in the ass....sometimes things work fine and other times things go wacky. Mechanical issues are so much easier because those problems don't usually come and go. Something is either broken or it's not.

The good news is that a mechanic who specializes in electrical systems can usually find electrical gremlins wherever they're hiding.
 
#17 ·
Yep, the 4WD was working fine.

Did you open the door and look at your ride height when it was riding so rough? Was it all the way down? I know that you said it eventually fixed itself, but did you try re-starting the car to see if that would fix it?
I didn't stop and look but it appeared to me that the car was riding higher than normal ride height. It for sure was not on the bump stops (that would be lower than Park Mode). I was still sitting tall.

I hope I don't have to regularly reboot my car like it was a older Windows based computer. LOL

But if this happens again (I hope not) I'll try it for sure.

What type of wiper fluid are you using? The reason I ask is that I think I've read in some of the Jeep materials not to use products such as Rain-X which could throw off the rain sensors.
The wiper fluid is whatever was added at the factory. I don't use any products like Rain-X. I don't like those products and know from a few past rides that it's not good to use with automatic wipers.

If the air suspension fails like that again, you are not suppose to drive over 25MPH. The suspension has deflated and the car was riding on the bump stops.
See above. I was sitting higher than the cars and crossovers next to me.

Curly, your doubts and anger are warranted under the circumstances, but hopefully a basic owner reset or code flash is sufficient. Don't let buyer's remorse creep in quite yet until the prognosis and fixes are in. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
No worries today, I was just joking and laughing about the ordeal at lunch with friends. I have an appointment next Tuesday at the dealer, I'll post an update then.

Thanks to you all for your support and insight.
 
#12 ·
Did you open the door and look at your ride height when it was riding so rough? Was it all the way down? I know that you said it eventually fixed itself, but did you try re-starting the car to see if that would fix it?
 
#14 ·
I know that you said it eventually fixed itself, but did you try re-starting the car to see if that would fix it?
I agree - anytime you have something like this occur, first thing you should do is pull over, turn the vehicle off for 20-30 seconds and restart, and see if it corrects itself. Remember, these things are just big computers - every so often you have to reset them.
 
#13 ·
What type of wiper fluid are you using? The reason I ask is that I think I've read in some of the Jeep materials not to use products such as Rain-X which could throw off the rain sensors.
 
#16 ·
Curly, your doubts and anger are warranted under the circumstances, but hopefully a basic owner reset or code flash is sufficient. Don't let buyer's remorse creep in quite yet until the prognosis and fixes are in. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
#19 · (Edited)
When we purchased our 04 Grand we had a similiar problem but it was with the transmission. The problem I had happened within 5 miles of the leaving the dealership with our brand new 04 Grand. My wife was driving it home and she reported that it felt like it had no power and was starting from stop lights in 3rd gear. After getting home I got behind the wheel and drove a few miles and confirmed her diagnosis, the Jeep was in limp mode. Of course by this time it is after the dealer has closed on a Saturday night and we can't get back until Monday morning.

Monday morning comes and we pull into the service drive very angry, ready to give the Jeep back. The service advisor opens the hood, then opens the cover of the main fuse/relay box and pushes down on one of the relays. Closes the hood and says everything should be fine now. I don't know if that particular relay was installed by a machine or human but apparently their had been a rash of relays that were not properly inserted into the socket fully. After this we never had another problem with this Jeep aside from normal wear and tear items for the whole 155,000+ miles we have owned it.

Our new WK2 comes in Tuesday and I only hope it is as reliable as our 04 turned out to be after the rocky start..

Maybe your issue is something this simple...
 
#21 ·
OK, we got the diagnosis from the dealer. It's a bad left front ride height sensor. Of course they didn't have one in stock so I have to take the GC back when the part shows up. It seamed a little funny to me that the dealer had to call me and ask where the warning was displayed? They didn't know the warnings would show up on the EVIC screen. Guess it's too new for the service guys. I'm glad they found something wrong so I don't feel like I have a recurring gremlin that would keep coming back.

I would like to thank everyone for your tips (like checking the fuses and relays) and support. I hope no one else has this problem but if you do you'll have an idea of one possible reason.

Frank TJ, I hope I have your 04 luck and never have another problem with this ride.
 
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