[Bnicolas]

Got my new 2014 Limited 2.5 weeks ago and its been in the shop for the last week and counting. After coming to a stop at a red light I tried to accelerate and the transmission shifted out of 1st into Neutral. I tried to shift back into Drive to no avail with the transmission shifting back into Neutral as soon as I shift to Drive. Then I realize the engine had also shut off so I hit the ignition to start the engine and I'm able to drive off without any issues fort the remainder of the day. I go about driving for the next day and I'm unsure if I should take it in for service or pass it off as a one time bug. The next night I'm driving home and it happens again after waiting for a red light the car won't accelerate and is in Neutral again. I decide it's time to take it back to the dealer and hope for a quick fix.

The dealer calls me the same day and says it needs a new shifter. They are ordering it from the LA warehouse and it will be fixed tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and I pick it up after work. On my way home not even 2 miles from the dealer and it happens again sitting at a red light, turns green, I try to accelerate and it goes dead into Neutral. Only this time there is a Semi truck behind me that is rolling towards me and didn't account for me starting and stopping so soon. Luckily he realizes I'm having issues and stops just shy of hitting me. I'm pissed. I can't turn around to take back to the dealer as the rental car place is closed now and I need a car to get home and for work the next day. So, I restart the car and I'm able to make it home. The next morning I take it back into the dealer and it happens again not even .5 mile from my house. Except this time I'm driving under 25mph and the car shifts from 3rd to 1st and wont accelerate. So, I restart again and hope to make it back to the dealer, which I do.

The dealer calls me later in the day and says they've driven it twice today and are unable to replicate the issue I'm having. I tell them keep trying. They say they'll test drive it again in the morning and see what happens. The dealer calls the next day and says they were able to replicate the issue and that it needs a new Body Control Module. They are able to get one from a nearby dealer the next day and it should be ready in the morning. I call the next morning after not hearing from them and they tell me after the new part the issue is not fixed. They tell me they are working with Chrysler technicians on possible fixes. That was on Saturday.

Today, I call my service rep for an update and he tells me the Chrysler techs asked them to check and tighten "some wire" which they did but, it did not fix the issue. He said they now believe it is an electrical issue and it could be a few days while they try to locate it.

My question is has anyone had issues with their transmission down shifting when trying to accelerate or engine shutting down after coming to a complete stop? Does this sound like a transmission issues or electrical?

I'm suppose to take it on a long road trip to Colorado in 2 weeks and it better be fixed by then. I'm not terribly confidant it will be based on whats transpired so far.

Side note: I do have the rough shifting when in ECO mode as mentioned by so many others on this board. I tried the battery disconnect fix mentioned here and it did seem as though there was a slight improvement on the smoothness of the shifts. I was more interested to see if it would fix the transmission issues I was having which it didn't.

 

[bill_de]

Since everything is done via some electrical component, it is most likely electrical. A bad connection, a bad component, or even a software glitch.

The unfortunate thing is that these problems can't be seen, like a bent shift linkage on older cars. At this point, it seems that Chrysler is not able to pin point the problems with any accuracy, so the dealers are becoming parts changers at the direction of the Chrysler tech. They will eventually hit on the right part, that information will be loaded into the data base, so the next person will have an easier time.

It may take a little longer than it should to find the problem, but once they do you should be good to go without any worries.



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[padgett]

Eventually they will throw enough parts at it to find the issue. Let's hope something else isn't damaged in the process.

What frosts my cake is that so many are having problems with '14s that sound alike to me yet to every dealer it is a new thing.

As you know, I have had a tablet in my '12 (which has never given me any problem BTW) monitoring engine diagnostics. With 64 GB of memory, it can keep a detailed log (when I was rearended last year while stopped, I could see the exact second it happened and exactly how far the F*ord 150 truck pushed me).

This is trivial. Modern trouble shooting 101. But seems like witchcraft to most dealers. (Clarke's third law).

We are not talking big expense here, can do with a $169 Samsung Android tablet, $20 dongle, and a $5 app. I periodically check for misfires (Pentastar) but generally just leave it on a basic screen. Is the only way to tell if a CAI is doing anything besides making noise.

With this you can monitor the complete set of OBD-II parameters in real time and keep a log to examine later.

None of this is new, my 88 Buick has the same capability through its ALDL and on the Reatta forum we often have members take "snapshots" of a much more limited set of parameters to help with diagnosis.

Heck, I remember when we were test flying new vehicles back around the bicentennial, we had banks of Brush Recorders and used to send the rolls down long hallways then walk the length looking for the anomalies (on second thought, maybe this is rocket science...)

ps Maybe we shouldn't blame the dealers for what is really the parent's fault. After all CJF can't even sell a Service Manual CD that can run on anything but older versions of windows (I have to create a virtual XP instance to see the diagrams. I keep meaning to fix that but have a day job.).