[JayT]

It’s electronically possible to keep the stop start from engaging but very complicated and would invalidate any warrantee you have. Just need to remember to switch it off, like putting on your seatbelt. When it’s on, I get strange looks from drivers who wonder why I turn off and on my motor at every light!!

 

[227191]

With start-stop on so many vehicles in the past five years I find it odd that very many people would give you “strange looks”. Perhaps instead of reacting to the start-stop they are reacting to you. Are you by chance somewhat strange looking?







j/k

.

 

[Traveler0980]

Here is my experience with Sto/Start and the battery. https://jeepgarage.org/f216/stop-start-206117.html

Just my $.02 US worth.

 

[howie6791]

My Cherokee is currently at the dealer for this same reason: Start/Stop Unavailable Battery Charging. I was going to change the battery, but I decided to try and see if my warranty will cover it first.

 

[Ride351]

Any update from the dealer? Mine just started doing this.

 

[howie6791]

Went to the dealer a couple of weeks ago for this and something else. They fixed my other problem and said "it's probably a battery issue" for this.
Been charging and starting fine but I'm still going to replace it soon.

 

[MarkDNC]

I had that problem and error message on my 2018 JGC.
The dealer replaced the start/stop battery (yes there are 2 under the passenger seat) as well as some other modules.

 

[staros]

Hi all:

So just to give another scenario here.

I was on vacation for about 17 days. Left the car parked in the lot.
When I got back everything worked fine, except the Start/Stop. I got the message "Auto Start/Stop Not available. Charging". Or something to that extent.

Drove it a for a few days and everything was fine.

My take:

The auto stop/start battery gets its charge from the main battery.

So the smaller battery had drained and just needed to be topped up when I got back.

And that takes a bit longer than just a couple of 5 mile trips every day.

Steve

 

[Jeepster910]

Hi all:

So just to give another scenario here.

I was on vacation for about 17 days. Left the car parked in the lot.
When I got back everything worked fine, except the Start/Stop. I got the message "Auto Start/Stop Not available. Charging". Or something to that extent.

Drove it a for a few days and everything was fine.

My take:

The auto stop/start battery gets its charge from the main battery.

So the smaller battery had drained and just needed to be topped up when I got back.

And that takes a bit longer than just a couple of 5 mile trips every day.

Steve

Good summation. That is the issue with modern vehicles especially the Cherokee. There is always electrical activity going on even when the vehicle is off or as I should say "sleep" mode. One of the reasons an AGM battery is needed in these vehicles. You are correct to notice that a 5 mile trip is not near enough to recharge completely the battery. Run/Stop puts some serious demands on the battery. It simply will not work if the battery charge get too low or the battery is nearing "end of life" status.
I do not have run stop on my 2014 but I do replace my battery at 4 years maximum. I still have lots of electronics running on mine. I invested in an AGM battery on mine last December because of this.

 

[flyfisherman]

There is apparently some confusion here. The OP (Original Poster) has a 2015 Cherokee KL. The Cherokee KL 2014 -2019 has only one battery, located in the engine compartment. The Grand Cherokee has two, if equipped with ESS. The Cherokee KL 3.2L V6 models 2015-2019 have all been equipped with ESS (Engine Start/Stop) and require an AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery. Installing a non-AGM wet cell battery will result in very premature failure of that battery, as non-AGM batteries cannot handle the load that the ESS system places on them. Many auto parts stores' web site battery finders will incorrectly list a non-AGM battery as an appropriate option for the 3.2L V6, so be certain that you choose only an AGM battery if you are purchasing yourself, and don't allow an unknowledgeable parts counter salesperson to sell you the wrong one in error. After replacing the battery, it may take several days (depending on your driving distances) for the ESS system to become available again, once the IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor) resets the system. Hope this helps.

 

[flyfisherman]

It should be noted that the Cherokee KL and the various Grand Cherokee model platforms do not share most features, systems or engine and drive train components, so care should be taken to be sure that you are addressing questions in the correct forum for your vehicle type and not potentially offering information that is not valid for the poster's vehicle or their concern.

 

[pbruecken]

I second flyfisherman. I have a 2019 KL with 2.0 L turbo. I read about the hurricane turbo when it came out in the 2018 Wrangler. That configuration had a feature called etorque. The etorque system runs the auto start/stop system with a 48 volt battery and a water cooled motor/generator unit (MGU) that auto starts AND delivers a low RPM torque boost to the engine via the serpentine belt. This system has a separate cooling system for just the electronics and the MGU. My 2019 KL does not have this but does have the auto start/ stop system using different equipment. Just another example of the complexity of these separate systems.


Sent from my iPad using JeepGarage

 

[wrestlingterp]

2015 Cherokee Limited with V6 and 25k miles on it. Start/Stop warning light started coming on intermittently in December. Didn't make a difference in performance so I waited until my yearly service. We put so few miles on the vehicle that I only need to service it once a year,

Found it impossible to make a service appt with my closest Jeep dealership so I went to one about 30 miles south yesterday.

They did a great job of trying to diagnose the problem since they couldn't pull any codes. Technician drove my Jeep home last night with the computer hooked up to it. There were voltage fluctuations and they recommended installing a new battery, which made sense since the original was still in it.

So I'm driving back from the dealership and the Start/Stop warning light comes on!! Even before reading Flyfisherman's post I decided to drive it for awhile to see if the problem continues.

 

[wrestlingterp]

Took it back to the dealer today. Apparently they installed the wrong battery. Supposedly the one installed today is the correct one. We'll see if that solves the problem.

 

[daddee323]

Why is it the “worst design ever”? Some vehicles do not have the option to turn it off, fortunately we do. Since this type of economy enhancer is appearing across the industry (Ford, GM, FCA, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota, etc.) I’d say that Jeep’s take is one of the better ones.


.

sorta begs the question... save fuel at a few dozen stops..
but how much is the JEEP starter gonna cost ??

stealership or thieving gas station ?

EASTCOAST stealerships are asking $870 american dollars !!!!!!

oh.. o OH the $175 diagnostics will be nig be added to the $ 870
THIEVES

 

[227191]

If you insist on begging, try begging the EPA to lower the CAFE (or Canada’s similar laws). ESS is there to increase the CAFE numbers, all makers know this and most are taking advantage of it. ESS (actually called “idle stop” in EPA-speak) works, and is relatively inexpensive for the makers.

FCA was fined $77,000,000 last year for missing the CAFE numbers, so the EPA forces vehicle manufacturers to come up with these kinds of workarounds. It’s your government who steals from you here, not the car maker. Get used to it son.

 

[Spikemeister]

Old post I know, but just bought a 2016 Cherokee North 3.2l(believe it's the latitude) Canadian version. Had start/stop unavailable /service start/stop system with the little A! Symbol at the bottom of the screen 15km after buying it, No other message!!! No charging message!!.... Took it to the dealer and they told me because it had sat at the dealer the AUXILLARY BATTERY was low and needed charging!!! I charged the battery the first night we brought it home for 14hrs and We had driven it for 5 days after that for a total of 500km and we've had the message come up 3 other times. So either the dealer is lost(no battery charging message) or something else is wrong. And can someone please tell me where this auxiliary battery is??? Dealer says there's one there but didn't tell me where and no one seems to know that I can find??

Thx Joe

 

[227191]

There is none, the “dealer” is thinking about a different Jeep vehicle. Find another, competent dealer.

The KL is very sensitive to battery condition, and the battery usually lasts 3-4 years before going bad. Bad means just weak enough to not supply the minimum voltage the Jeep needs for all systems to work correctly. Too, the battery must be an AGM type. Must be. Many report similar faults with a dying battery, it isn’t the charging system. This is most likely the problem, but no guarantee.


.

 

[Spikemeister]

There is none, the “dealer” is thinking about a different Jeep vehicle. Find another, competent dealer.

The KL is very sensitive to battery condition, and the battery usually lasts 3-4 years before going bad. Bad means just weak enough to not supply the minimum voltage the Jeep needs for all systems to work correctly. Too, the battery must be an AGM type. Must be. Many report similar faults with a dying battery, it isn’t the charging system. This is most likely the problem, but no guarantee.


.

That's unfortunate about the dealer, I'm in a rural area and it's the only dealer around for 100 miles.... I was skeptical about their reasoning as there was no "charging" message or any error message, which I find odd. The ess error is very intermittent so I can't see it being a major problem with the system or it would on all the time! For now I'll run it until the spring and look for a battery then, ess system not that important to us but being as we just bought it I wanted the dealer to do their job on a vehicle they just sold!! A shame there is no message indicating main battery voltage low so we're not fishing and having dealers muck around!!

Thx

 

[pbruecken]

Hello all,

That's unfortunate about the dealer, I'm in a rural area and it's the only dealer around for 100 miles.... I was skeptical about their reasoning as there was no "charging" message or any error message, which I find odd. The ess error is very intermittent so I can't see it being a major problem with the system or it would on all the time! For now I'll run it until the spring and look for a battery then, ess system not that important to us but being as we just bought it I wanted the dealer to do their job on a vehicle they just sold!! A shame there is no message indicating main battery voltage low so we're not fishing and having dealers muck around!!

Thx

I will second Spikemeister and ForcedInduction on this one. The Cherokee is not a Grand Cherokee. It has one battery and that battery must be AGM. I have a 2019 Limited 2.0 Turbo. Bought it used a year ago and the ESS system quit working. The dealer needs to charge the battery correctly for AGM in order to test it. My dealer did this twice and last year it passed but this fall, after ESS quit working for months, the battery failed the test. They are replacing the battery under warranty. These AGM batteries are sensitive to large charging voltages and need to be charged correctly. I can monitor the voltage and the ESS status in the car with menu items in the information center. My ESS menu says, "ESS not available, battery charging" after the car warms up. My Voltage menu item says voltage is always between 14.0 and 14.4 volts while running on the highway. My Cherokee has had no electrical problems and always starts fine but the ESS system seems to sense that the battery is not ready for ESS. Apparently, the system assumes the battery is the correct AGM one or its sensing devices disable the ESS system.