Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. After being driven and then parked, the battery and check engine warning indicators illuminated. The contact immediately turned the engine off and a strong burning odor was present. The contact opened the hood and noticed smoke emerging from the alternator. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. An independent mechanic (evelio auto electric and fuel injection in vega baja, puerto rico) diagnosed that the alternator failed and needed to be replaced along with the battery. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v435000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the manufacturer's mechanic. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee electrical complaints
Page 13 of 29: complaints 341 to 370 of 837, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Was driving and arrived at destination ,every thing was perfectly fine exited the vehicle and was gone for about 30 min. On return found vehicle completely without any electrical power had to be towed and found out alternator shorted out frying the battery as well as computer .I was informed that there are grand cherokees being recalled for this problem but it doesn't seem to affect my VIN number even though I have experienced this very problem
Vechile does not start. Engine stalling and electrical warning light turns on. The vehicle was parked.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. While operating the vehicle, the instrument panel gauges suddenly began to flicker and illuminate before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the alternator malfunctioned and damaged the battery. Both components would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17b435000(electrical system), although the failures were identical. The local dealer (brubaker dodge in montgomery, alabama) was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
While driving home from work during rush hour traffic on the highway, the red battery light came for the first time since I owned the vehicle. Within minutes of the light appearing, the jeep's air conditioning went off, all warning lights appeared on the dashboard and the windshield wipers turned on (without prompting them). All three of these things happened within seconds of each other so I tried to pull over to the side of the highway but the jeep lost all power and stalled in the right lane of the highway. There was absolutely zero power so I was unable to turn my hazard lights on or put the car in neutral to roll to the breakdown lane (see attached picture). I then had to exit the jeep into oncoming rush hour traffic in the left lane and luckily made it safety to the shoulder where I called 911 and triple a for a tow. The jeep was towed to my local mechanic who said the alternator failed and that he had to unplug it from the battery since it was still producing excessive heat hours after it arrived there. I then called the fca customer service and referenced recall t36, since the exact same thing happened as the description provided (although I did not have any recalls on my VIN). They put me in touch with the local jeep dealership to set up an appt so I paid for another tow there. The next day I receive a call from the service dept that my alternator failed, which drained my battery, which broke my module powertrain control computer totaling $2,134 in repairs. They cannot confirm nor deny that my jeep is part of recall t36, but regardless since my VIN does not have any recalls on it, that I have to pay in full and that if down the road there is a recall that I will get reimbursed. I then call the fca customer service back and they check their internal system and confirm that I am not part of recall t36 and there are no outstanding recalls for my jeep.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was not inspected and diagnosed by a dealer. In addition, the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v879000 (electrical system, interior lighting). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. While driving 65 MPH, the battery warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle lost power. The contact stated that the power steering, power locks, brakes, and windshield wipers failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was towed to autonation chrysler jeep arapahoe (located at 9980 e arapahoe rd, englewood, co 80112 (303) 900-0794), but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v435000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. The contact had just parked the vehicle at home when she observed an abnormal burning odor without warning. The contact observed smoke coming from the engine. The contact opened the hood and observed that the alternator was smoking and black. The dealer (dutch miller dodge, 339 maccorkle ave, sw, south charleston, wv, 25303) was contacted at 304‑343‑7700 and stated that there was no recall information. The dealer also stated that the contact could schedule an appointment and referred her to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that due to her 180 amp alternator, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact stated that the recall states that 180 amps were included. The manufacturer stated that they would escalate the case and have a case manager call her back. The manufacturer did not provide a case number. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v435000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 106,400.
I started the jeep and was headed home on the city street I had only driven .5 miles and it began to make a loud whistling sound as I pulled into my street. Then the jeep began to shake and drive very rough. I parked, turned off the car and smelled smoke when I opened the hood the alternator was smoking, it smelled so bad and took over 20 minutes to get it to cool down and keep it from catching fire. I have lost all power in the jeep.
After starting the vehicle, a loud whining noise came from what was determined to be the alternator. The alternator probably short circuited resulting in the destruction of the wiring system to include the vehicle computer system. A burning odor was noticed from the wiring system under the hood ( engine compartment). The entire electrical system failed requiring the vehicle to be towed to the nearest jeep dealer. This episode happened while the vehicle was in motion traveling approximately 1 mile. The vehicle was then parked with the distinct odor of burning. The vehicle is now at the jeep dealership awaiting diagnosis.
Smelled smoke using A/C, battery light went on, took to dealer, 180 amp alternator burned out, also caused burn out of battery. Car just died, shut down, on road. Dealer replaced battery and alternator. My alternator not apparently part of original 160 amp recall so it was not covered. $980 repair bill. Car had 62,000 mi., always service at dealer. There are hundreds of similar incidents on internet, no recall for all these alternators? Seems to be rather dangerous when car just shuts down while driving. My case was not life threatening.
During my drive home from another town where I work approx 30 minutes away my alternator shorted out and blew out the battery. I was extra lucky and did not wreck but then when my husband got there to jump the vehicle it started the jumper cables completely on fire!!! We were able to get the fire out and get it to a parts store. The alternator is completely broken and who knows what else it burned while the alternator was burning up. You could smell burning wires even hours after the incident. When I contacted about the recall issue they said my jeep was not covered under the alternator recall taking effect august 24, 2017 yet my alternator did exactly what the effected alternators are doing the only difference was I was able to not wreck my vehicle. Then it almost caused an even worse issue by starting things on fire and burning up who knows what else in the vehicle. Why is my vehicle not included in this recall!!!??? I was driving on a small highway. I included a photo of the jumper cables after they were caught on fire.
The vehicle suddenly in a left turn lane at a intersection had the alternator light come on. The jeep then suddenly died and omitted a odor of something burning. The jeep would not budge at that point and was compliantly stuck with no power. I couldn't even push the vehicle out of the intersection because the wheels lock up, along with everything else. Luckily it did not catch on fire, but I smelled smoke. I had people yelling and honking at me because I was in their way, they even yelled at the police officer there to help. The vehicle was taken to a licensed chyrsler dealer...from there it was diagnosis with a shorted out alternator, which also shorted out the computer and battery. The extended warranty covered the alternator and computer, but the battery was not covered. That is $247 to purchase the battery and the $100 extended insurance deductible. There is a recall p60 on this year jeep grand cherokee and dodge durango, but that is the 160 amp alternator, ours has the 180 amp. The problem I experienced was exactly what the recall was issued for. I believe my vehicle and others need to be recalled before they short out and catch on fire.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that the battery warning indicator illuminated. Also, the vehicle failed to start several times without warning and the battery had to be recharged several times. While driven over un-leveled land, the vehicle stalled and various warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (blackhawk motors, 1621 s marquette rd, prairie du chien, wi 53821, (608) 326-8400) where it was diagnosed that the alternator assembly failed and further repairs may be required. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 17v435000 (electrical system), 14v634000 (electrical system), and 15v115000 (electrical system). In addition, the VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: (visibility). The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
When I was driving on the high way .my grand cherokee stalled then stopped.after a short time it started again and I drove it to the mopar service centre of the dealer. The dealer told me that the car was not recalled for detective alternator. So they will replace the alternator and drained battery at my expense and also charge for the labour cost. I find this very strange and unjustified. The car maybe was not recalled but the fault now is exactly what the recall was for . So how come they refuse to replace what was originally recalled. This is against the rules and regulations of the federal safety agency. Please guide me.
I have 4 recurring problems with my jeep. First, the driver's heated seats periodically will not work. Second, upon starting my car, it will just stall or shut down. This happens 2 to 3 times a week. Third, the check engine light continuously comes on and off (and when I get it checked, I am told something about the thermostat, but have had no problems with it overheating). Finally, the cruise control on/off button will not work sometimes. I have to physically hit the steering wheel for it to work. I have read about tons of recalls for my year jeep, but my VIN number is not included. I am starting to think it should be.
As I was driving my A/C stopped blowing cold air. Battery light came on then all the dash indicators started blinking wrong including my seat belt indicator, radio shut off, etc. Car drove as if it had little power then steering jerked as if car was going to shut down. Pulled over and turned off car and car would not restart. Took to the mechanic who confirmed is the alternator. Vehicle only hs 60k miles.
Sudden electrical system failure while driving in town over my lunch hour. Warning light illuminated and was able to drive to a safe place to stop before the alternator started smoking. Powdered extinguisher did not stop the smoke so had to call the fire department. Their liquid flame retardant was able to cool the alternator and prevent the fire from spreading. Jeep has a current recall for the 160 amp alternator, but I have the 180 amp alternator. I reported the issue to jeep and they were able to confirm that they haven't even started an investigation for this issue. This is the exact same failure as is described in the 160 amp alternator recall and the issue was fixed the same way, by replacing the alternator. Please make jeep expand the recall before someone dies in a fire or accident due to this issue. If I was on the highway as I was over the holiday weekend we would not have been able to stop in a safe place as quickly and definitely would not have had a quick fire response!
The alternator on our jeep had the same issue as the p60 recall for this model year and engine equipped with the 160 amp alternator. Our vehicle has the 180 amp alternator and is not covered. My question/complaint is that if the chrysler warranty rep told me that she is seeing this issue more and more than why isn't the 180 amp alternator covered under the warranty also. The car was running perfectly fine and instantly started squealing very loudly and we could smell the electrical issue we are unsure of a fire issue but it looked like the alternator could have started something else..luckily we were able to pull the vehicle over and when I lifted the hood the alternator was pouring out smoke and had soot around the cooling fins. We returned to the vehicle 3 hours later and we could still smell the burnt wire smell. Our dealer tried to jump start using a power pack and it instantly drained two power packs that can jump seams from a dead battery. Our vehicle had to be towed to the dealer. Now we are waiting to find out what our charged will be. As I said earlier, the chrysler warranty rep said that this is being reported more and more and she advised me to file a complaint hoping that a recall will be started due to the number of complaints they are seeing. Is there anything I can do in the meantime while I spend 500$ on a tow and a alternator? Thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).?
Driving down hwy. For 10 minutes and battery light came on, short time later vehicle died. Battery cables on jumper side hot, strong smell of burned rubber. Battery and alternator very hot and could not be touched. Seem to be direct ground on 180 amp alternator. Had to replace battery and alternator just to get power back. Now more checks needed on computer. Same as p60 recall, however, chrysler tells me the 180 amp is not involved.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a complete loss of electrical power intermittently. All the warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to semi valley chrysler dodge jeep, but the dealer could not replicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 110,080.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 (na) jeep cherokee. While driving 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and completely lost power. In addition, the malfunction, electronic throttle control, and acc indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to jeep, dodge, chrysler of simi valley, california, but the dealer could not duplicate or determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 110,093. ..updated 08/30/17 *bf
Sudden loss of all power while driving on highway. Smoke, power brake and steering failure, battery drained. Very dangerous!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. While the vehicle was stationary with the engine running, the vehicle would not turn off when prompted. The contact stated that the vehicle began to smoke due to fan that continued to run. On one occasion, the vehicle stalled without warning and lost power completely. Mike smith jeep of beaumont, texas attempted to repair the vehicle numerous times, but the failure continued. The water pump was replaced after the coolant oil began leaking into the pump. In addition, the traction control indicator illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and instructed the dealer to check the tipm; however, the failures recurred even after numerous repairs. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Alternator failed with no warning. It began violently smoking like it was about to catch fire even though it was turning freely. Turned car off and it was still smoking badly. Grabbed fire extinguisher but it never flamed up. In the process, it burned my battery up also. Jeep had a recall on the 160 amp alternator for the same issue but said mine was not covered because it was 180 amp. I have read where several others have had the same issue with the 180 amp alternator. Had the car towed to former dealer I bought it from(he was the new car dealer at the time), he said he had never seen a battery that hot after sitting for awhile and couldn't understand how it didn't burn up. Cost of repair was over $1000 for a new alternator and battery
Alternator chrysler has a recall for alternators from 2011 - 2014 but my VIN is not covered. Same issue as the recall. Sudden power loss, smell of burnt wires. Total electrical loss. Car has 90,000 miles on it. Recall should extend to this issue. $800 fix
This happened june 2016 in calgary, ab. Canada. I was upset then and am still upset now, enough to complain here. I was driving on street at low speed, the battery light came on, I pulled over less than a minute later, engine was squealing badly, turned off engine, there was a large amount of smoke coming from under the hood, I opened hood and was hit with a blast of smoke, I thought engine was on fire. After smoke dissipated, I could see smoke was coming from alternator. It appeared to have overheated and melted a connector/wiring. I had the alternator replaced, but the PCM was also fried, so had to have it replaced as well. $2000 later I was back on the road. I checked fca for recalls. Fca say the 160 amp alternator is covered under a recall but not the 180 amp. I have the 180 amp alternator. I talked to 3-4 people at fca and emailed them all the info and invoices and the said "we are very sorry and that is unfortunate but there is no recall or coverage" for my alternator or PCM. However, they did say that with enough complaints that possibly in the future there will be a campaign to recall the 180 amp alternator and told me to keep my receipts. So everyone keep your receipts and keep complaining as I believe they will eventually recall this alternator, and we will get some reimbursement.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. While the vehicle was stationary, the alternator malfunctioned without warning. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the hood of the vehicle that originated from the alternator. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Stanley wood in batesville, arkansas was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,738.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the battery warning indicator illuminated and smoke and a burning odor appeared under the hood. The instrument panel lighting began to flicker and the vehicle began to lose power and eventually failed. The contact had the vehicle towed to jim smallich chrysler dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery and alternator failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v634000 (electrical system). The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that the alternator failed while driving 45 MPH. In addition, the windshield wipers engaged independently, the lights on the instrument panel flashed and immediately became dim, and the engine stalled. The contact also noticed a burning rubber odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to hill view motorist chrysler dealer in luxor, pennsylvania (724‑834‑8440) where it was diagnosed that the alternator failed and caused the battery and power train control module to burn. The vehicle was repaired and the alternator, battery, and power train control module were replaced. The manufacturer stated that the alternator in the vehicle was one hundred eighty amps and was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v634000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 62,407. Updated 08/04/17*lj
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