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2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4x4 transmission complaints

Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 42, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4x4 transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Sep 2, 2013 · Transmission · 5,000 miles · VA

I have a manual transmission, when accelerating in first gear, the transmission violently jumps out of gear. At first I thought it was because I was rusty. Then I attributed it to not having the gear in far enough. Based on seeing the other complaints it looks like I'm not the only one that has been struggling with this problem. It definitely gives me pause when attempting to pull into traffic, and has been very intimidating to my 17 year old new driver. By the time I realized it wasn't just me the jeep was out of warranty.

Filed Jun 9, 2013 · Transmission · 95,000 miles · AZ · 1 injury

. I have a 2008 rubicon 4-door, I was out in the desert in an area that required being in 4 high, when I got to a regular dirt road, I tried to shift out of 4 low and the transfer case shifter just went completely limp. I was stuck in a total neutral state and could not move. It took some time to manually manipulate the shift cable from underneath the jeep to get it into 2 high so I could get out of the area. Apparently, chrysler is well aware of this problem and the root cause of it is a 50 cent bushing that becomes broke or pulls away from the transfer case. This is a dangerous situation if you are in a remote area and are unable to get under the jeep and successfully get the case into gear. The jeep is stuck in neutral could kill someone if it loses its powertrain on a steep hill. This also happened a second time further up transfer case shifter case cable 2 years later. Left me stranded in the wilderness twice. I was injured with an exhaust burn attempting to reconnect the broken cable. Jeep says at their driving camp shifting with more than 2 finger light touch will break the transfer case linkage.

Filed Apr 8, 2013 · Transmission · 12,000 miles · CA

The vehicle violently pops out of first gear when you begin accelerating. This creates a severe hazard when attempting to accelerate through a left-hand turn across traffic. This problem was repaired in 2009 and has now begun again. This is a known issue with chrysler.

Filed Dec 18, 2012 · Transmission · 40,000 miles · RI

Sometimes when I'm going to take off... As I would normally do... My shifter slams out of first gear... The first time I heard/felt it, I literally waited to hear something hit the pavement afterwards... After my heart slows back down and my body allows me to react I place it back in first and everything goes as normal... I'm not trying to speed off ridiculously... Just slow easy starts as usual and it freaks me out. The thing that really scares me is when my pregnant wife drives this car and has this problem.

Filed Oct 23, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · 58,000 miles · WA · fire

Driving in beach dune area in oregon (had arrived maybe 10 minutes earlier). Smelled something burning and car burned to the ground. No overheating of engine coolant but hot oil and other lights flickered before shutting engine off. Got out of vehicle, looked under hood and wire harness along firewall was on fire and flames coming from that and between engine and firewall. Tried to suppress fire but was unsuccessful. Car a total loss - burned to the ground.

Filed Apr 12, 2012 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · KS · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 jeep wrangler 4dr 4x4. While driving approximately 20 MPH, smoke began to emit from under the hood. The contact maneuvered to the side of the road and immediately exited the vehicle. The vehicle began to ignite into extensive flames. The fire department extinguished the fire and informed the malfunction originated within the transmission. The vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to the dealer. The failure occurred twenty minutes after the recall repair was performed. The recall was associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number was 09v436000 (power train: automatic transmission). The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

Filed Apr 2, 2012 · Transmission · 13,000 miles · CA · fire · 3 injuries

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 jeep wrangler 4x4. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the contact smelled an extremely strong burning odor. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and quickly became engulfed in flames. The contact, front seat passenger and rear seat passenger sustained minor burns to the face and arms. The fire department extinguished the fire and informed the contact that the transmission fluid boiled over into the transmission and engine area, which resulted in a fire. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency campaign id number 09v436000 (power train: automatic transmission). The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a savage facility. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.

Filed Jan 6, 2012 · Transmission · 32,400 miles · FL

Transmission jumps out of 1st gear. Started doing it once or twice a month back in june. Now does it 5 or 6 times a day in january. I live in florida, so cold weather is not the issue. I removed the outer boot so I could watch the inner boot. Still happens but I see no difference in how the inner boot moves weather it pops out or not. Finally felt I should complain when I almost could not get out of the way of a fire truck that was trying to get past me at a stop light. It popped out 4 times so I had to use 2nd gear to move over. I have to wait for large openings in traffic to pull out or cross multi lane roads because I'm not sure I'll make it in one shot. I usually have to do a slow 2nd gear take off.

Filed Oct 15, 2011 · Transmission · 8,450 miles · AZ

Shifting the 4-wheel drive transfer case (tc) from 2hi to 4hi or 4low (or in reverse order) can cause the transfer case shifting cable (tcsc) (mopar part 52060462ag) to fail and become disconnected from either the tc or the shift lever in the cab (or both). The part?s plastic components are inherently too weak to withstand normal use. Safety risks which can arise upon component failure, if the vehicle owner and their family (children) are at a location and/or terrain where the vehicle is designed/marketed for travel (whether by recreation or necessity), and the location/terrain is: (I) subject to inclement weather (e.g. Snow, ice, flooding, extreme heat); or (ii) on an extreme incline which is unsafe to negotiate without 4wd; or (iii) any circumstance which requires 4wd to navigate to a safe location; or (iv) the tcsc fails when the tc becomes stuck in the neutral position while shifting, and is unable to escape impending harm (flash flood) ... There is obvious risk to life/safety. The owner has a right to rely on the components and reasonable safety performance for which the product is designed/marketed. Jeep is aware of the issue, and the manual fails to cite this as a possible catastrophic event, leaving the unsuspecting owner at a loss in an emergency situation. It is not reasonable for this component to fail within a few thousand miles as reported by jeep owners. Advance adapters (www.advanceadapters.com) manufactures a tcsc which meets the criteria (product# 715596) required for this component. There is no reason that jeep cannot do the same and/or contract with advance adaptors to supply the part to jeep owners. We urge the federal safety agency?s investigation of this safety defect and jeep will redesign the defective part and issue a recall for affected vehicles on which the part was installed as oem and to extend the warranty to replacement for life of the vehicle.

Filed Aug 17, 2011 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · CA

Pops out of 1st gear 2-4 times a day.

Filed Jul 21, 2011 · Electrical, Fuel system · 53,500 miles · IN

I bought a used 2008 4 door jeep wrangler just over 2 months ago. In this time I have noticed every time we fill up with gas, no matter what gas station we use, gas spills everywhere. Also, the battery was completely drained after a month of having the jeep. We had it towed to the dealership where they ran a diagnostic and said it was the battery. We had to pay the for the test and then we replaced the battery ourselves, a couple days later the jeep would not start again! I put the jeep in neutral and it started right up. So now at least once a day I have to put the jeep in neutral to start it. My main concern is that it is eventually going to drain my battery again and I am going to have to keep replacing batteries. I have done research and both of these are "known" and "common" problems, yet when I contacted jeep they act like they have never heard of it and tell me I need to take it to a dealership and pay to have them run more diagnostic tests on it! Nothing has been done about it.

Filed Jun 16, 2011 · Transmission · 36,000 miles · LA

I have a little over 45k miles on my 2008 jeep jk and this started happening about 5 months ago. The first 1-2 times I sort of chalked it up to an unusual oddity. But it has now happened over a couple of dozen times! It seems to happen more and more now. This is a manual 6 speed transmission....the problem has happened in first gear only. It always happens from a standstill stop. So I am stopped and in 1st gear (I know I am clearly and definitively in 1st gear as I am very conscience of it now!). I start going by slowly applying the gas as I ease off the clutch...and pop! The transmission snaps out of gear into neutral. It is a very violent experience. It gives the sensation of being hit from behind (what I thought the first time it happened). I am 47 years old and been driving a standard transmission since I was 15. This is the first ever of such type of problem for me. Nothing has been done as of yet for this problem . This is a very dangerous problem and at a busy intersection could be a potential deadly accident. I've read on many jeep forums this is becoming a problem more and more every day going back to 2008..

Filed Jan 11, 2011 · Transmission · 39,000 miles · PA

The failure is the manual transmission violently pops out of first gear when starting to accelerate. This issue happens intermittently. When it happens, there is a complete loss of power to the wheels presenting a serious safety issue.

Filed Jan 4, 2011 · Transmission · AZ

To whom it may concern: I had purchased a 2008 jeep wrangler about year ago from a local dealership in prescott, arizona. About 2-3 weeks after buying it my son had come home saying the whole vehicle started shaking while he was driving down the road. We took the jeep out on a ride and could not make the vehicle shake again. A few weeks later it happened to me, so we took it back to the dealership (tim's auto in prescott.) they had our vehicle for a few weeks, and when we went to pick it up we were told they found no problems. They had, 'taken it apart, put it back together and driven it around,' with no issues. They acted like I was making up the whole problem. Since then we have only had a few outbursts, but we just lived with it. Then, today (1-4-11) as I was driving on the highway it began to wobble a little. I was close to home, so I kept going. The jeep started to veer into oncoming traffic, I slammed on the breaks and it started to turn the other way. I was on a four lane highway, going 65 MPH with cars on either side. I was almost hit twice (both would have been caused by me) by the time I got onto the side of the road. My husband was out of town and daughter was working two towns over, I had no choice but to drive home. I got back into the car, started driving, and got about 5 miles farther before the vehicle started shaking again. I put on my emergency flashers and got to the side of the road. I called and could not get a hold of any one so I got in and drove home at about 15 MPH, shaking all the way. Currently, my jeep is in the driveway, I am up against a wall with this vehicle! Repairs are not 100 percent reliable (based on past experience) and online reviews seem to say that a lot of other people are having this problem. I hope someone with your company can help me with this, because as of now I have a $35,000 deathtrap sitting outside of my home. [xxx] cc: chrysler-jeep, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Dec 21, 2010 · Transmission · MA

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited x(na). The contact received a recall notice for recall 09v436000 (power train: automatic transmission). The contact stated that the remedy did not correct the problem. The vehicle had not been repaired. There was no failure mileage.

Filed Oct 25, 2010 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · FL

I have a 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited 4 door and the manual transmission repeatedly jumps out of first gear. It has happened to me when entering highways and I have had near accidents as a result. Jeep dealer claims there is no tsb for this problem.

Filed Oct 2, 2010 · Transmission · 31,000 miles · NY

Re: odi id# 10340432 update - chrysler has originally approved re-imbursement for the damage to my jeep then later declined the claim stating the repairs would be considered "routine maintenance". As per 2008 jeep wrangler 4-door service manual replacing transmission oil and filter are not required maintenance until 120,000 miles. My jeep presently has less than 36,000 miles and had approximately 31,000 miles on date of incident.

Filed Aug 18, 2010 · Transmission · 10,000 miles · CT

2008 jeep sahara unlimited continually pops out of 1st gear (violently) when attempting to start driving from a full stop.

Filed Aug 18, 2010 · Transmission · 69,659 miles · OH

Manual transmission will disengage out of first gear when driving. This has happened numerous time, but the dealer cannot duplicate issues because it is an intermittent default. Most current incident was today after the jeep had been at the dealer for 48 hours. Called jeep customer complaint and was told unless the dealer can duplicate the problem there is not a valid warranty issue.

Filed Jul 10, 2010 · Electrical, Transmission · 20,478 miles · VA

I purchased a brand new jeep wrangler about two and a half years ago. About two months ago the car would randomly stop starting. I have taken it to my local jeep dealer four times for this problem and they have not fixed it. The dealer claims that they cannot fix the problem because they do not know what's wrong with the car. I have notified jeep's corporate office and they claim that the car has been fixed even though its starting problem had persisted. To make matters worse I was driving the jeep a few weeks ago and then all the car's alarms went off, then dashboard failed, the windshield washers turned on and then the car's transmission began to kick within about five seconds. I took it back to my dealer and they claimed that the problem was caused by a defective radio. I personally have no idea if this problem was caused by the original starting problem. I also am concerned that there may be more problems with my car in the future.

Filed Jun 28, 2010 · Transmission · 31,000 miles · NY · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited rubicon. The contact stated while traveling approximately 55 MPH, the transmission overheated. There was smoke coming from under the hood and the contact could smell burning transmission fluid. The dealer was unable to service the vehicle for another week. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where a transmission flush was performed and the filter was replaced. The contact previously received notification of the federal safety agency campaign id number: 09v436000 (component automatic transmission) and stated the dealer was only replacing an unknown sensor and installing a warning light on the dashboard of the vehicle to indicate when the transmission is overheating. The contact did not believe the recall remedy adequately corrected the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000 and the current mileage was approximately 32,000.

Filed May 21, 2010 · Transmission · 28,700 miles · 00 · fire

After changing the automatic transmission fluid going up hill on the highway the engine compartment has caught on fire. Some transmission fluid was spilled out on the road pavement. Dealer denied the whole repair even the car is still under the manufacturer's guarantee.

Filed May 4, 2010 · Transmission · 89,502 miles · TN · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 jeep wranger. The contact referenced recall 09v436000 (power train:automatic transmission) and stated that the repair was performed. After the repair, while driving at approximately 70-75 MPH, another driver informed the contact that the vehicle was on fire. The contact heard a single popping noise under the vehicle. When he pulled over, he noticed that the entire hood was bucking up and down and smoke was pouring from under. He called the police and fire department; a fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the recall repair was performed. The vehicle was totaled. The current and failure mileages were 89,502. Updated 03/02/11 *bf updated 11/21/11

Filed Mar 31, 2010 · Transmission · 200 miles · 00

My 2008 jeep rubicon has been jumping out of 1st gear when entering intersections etc... Since it was new. After 10 months of complaining to the dealership and over 1 dozen near misses at intersections (I stopped alowing my kids to even drive in this vehicle after the first incident where we were almost broadsided by a truck) a technical service bulletin was issued by chrysler where if someone complained they would change a synchronizer assembly. There are many many others complaining about the same issue and chrysler has chosen to put others at risk as the issue is still not fixed on new vehicles but requires the tsb to be performed to remedy (maybe it fixes it but I am still not convinced). I know this as I asked for a new transmission and was told by chrysler that even new transmissions have this issue. Someone is going to get killed (or perhaps there are already fatalities) if there is not a total recall to fix this dangerous safety issue.

Filed Mar 10, 2010 · Transmission · 12,750 miles · VA

Vehicle's transmission inconsistently shifts from first gear to neutral from a standing stop to acceleration. Force of the vehicle coming out of gear is so great that it feels as if a collision has occurred from behind. On several occasions of these occurrences the vehicle has entered into an intersection causing a deceleration and subjecting the vehicle and occupants to oncoming traffic. This was first reported to the dealer in december of 2009. Dealer reported the problem could not be duplicated and the problem was never addressed.

Filed Mar 2, 2010 · Transmission · 14,000 miles · IA

The transmission on mu 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited has overheating issues. The vent tube for when this happens was placed by the factory over the catalytic converter creating a major fire hazard for when the overheating does happen. I had my transmission overheat on my way to tizer lakes, mt and it is in a large national forest with many dead trees because of the pine beatle. If I hadn't caught the overheating early since there is no warning whatsoever, this could have caused a major forest fire in a national forest with many people recreating over a labor day weekend.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Transmission · 41,078 miles · NE

08 jeep wrangler rubicon 6 speed transmission. When starting out in first gear the transmission will violently jump back and out of first gear. Took it into the dealer 6+ times to have them look at it. It did happen to a service tech and they replaced the transmission. The new transmission started doing the same thing 5 miles from the dealer. Took back again. The dealer responce was it was driver error. Went to another dealer. That manager says that brand new jeeps with 6 speed transmissions jump out of gear. This is very dangerous as it is first gear and you are pulling into traffic when it happens, you have to then shift very quickly into second to get the vehicle moving again. Http://www.wranglerforum.com and serarch 6 speed transmission and you wil see simular stories.

Filed Jun 10, 2009 · Transmission · 5,200 miles · WI

Fire hazard - the front axle vent tube is incorrectly designed. While investigating an oil leak the dealer found that the tube had been overflowing, depositing oil residue on the frame, exhaust pipe and catalytic converter. Burned oil is evident on the exhaust crossover pipe. In my opinion is only a matter of time before a fire starts. The dealer has seen other vehicles with this problem and plans to lengthen the tube and place its' end in a location away from the exhaust. I feel this flaw should merit expedited factory review and redesign.

Filed Sep 10, 2008 · Transmission · 2,000 miles · CO

2008 jeep wrangler 6-speed. The transmission and engine rattle and shake on a constant basis. It is worse on bumps and rough roads. Took it to dealer twice, chrysler rep looked at it and said there is no replacement parts. They said all wranglers do this so there is nothing I can do about it. Called chrysler hot line to register a complaint. They said they would look into it and call me. They've never called. I believe this condition interfers with normal driving and is very dangerous when using 4 wheel drive in off road conditions. I think they said they all do this is so there is no diminished value so I can't use the lemon law. The dealer has been very cooperative but he's limited to what the factory tells him to do. This started at 2,000 miles and now have 4,000 miles.

Filed Jun 2, 2008 · Transmission · 6,442 miles · NC

Transmission signals an over heating situation with stored code when going up moderate road inclines. Vehicle has done this several times and others with like vehicle have also experienced this. Dealership has retrieved and verified code indicating overheating of transmission however has no manufacturer corrective action and could not duplicate. Possible fire situation if fluid boils over and out of fill tube and ignites on exhaust system below.

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