I bought a brand new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe in July 2021. Starting in December of 2021 and continuing to this day I will periodically get an error message that says "Service Hybrid Electrical System" and the car will either not start or shut off while it is in motion. I have contacted Jeep Cares and have been elevated to their customer retention group to continue to try to solve this issue. The dealer has been great at trying to fix the issue but they have admitted that they don't know what it is or how to fix it and are relying on the national Jeep engineers to help try to fix it. Talking with the mechanics at the dealer they keep saying the national Jeep engineers are just guessing at this point on what the issue is and they don't know what the issue is either. I am far from the only one that is having this issue. If you search any Jeep forum you will find countless other owners with the same issue, https://www.4xeforums.com/search/37154/?q=service+hybrid+electrical+system The underlying issue with the Jeep 4xe's is a huge public safety issue. This is due to the fact that the Jeep 4xe will randomly turn off while driving, such as driving down a highway going 60mph.
2021 Jeep Wrangler transmission complaints
Page 6 of 6: complaints 131 to 149 of 149, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Dash warning “service axle locker system” . I have never used my axle lockers once, nor been off road with my jeep & the differential tried to lock itself. This is dangerous. If differential locks could cause fatalities. Yes, have taken my jeep to the dealership 3 times, it is currently under investigation, have had the rear diff replaced once, the reason: diff oil slowly works its way inside the sensor over time and since diff oil has metallic flakes in it from the bearings/gears it will cause the circuit board in the locker sensor to short out. Once that happens the only fix is a new axle. You cannot buy the sensor separately. Not isolated situation. Many wrangler owners from 2018 to 2021 posting this up. According to jl wrangler forum, fca does not have a fix yet. This should not be happening on a $65k vehicle in first 90 days! Several owners on 3rd and 4th axle replacements. There are 30 pages of complaints on this. Decided to report this as it appears from the forum fca does not have a fix this is appearing on several jeep wrangler rubicon's,
While driving a vehicle swerved into my lane, to avoid hitting them I tapped my brakes, upon tapping my breaks the Jeep lost propulsion and it felt as though my brakes lost power as well. I had to coast into a parking lot where I didn’t even make it to a spot and had to be towed to the dealer. The Jeep would no longer start and gave a “service charging system” message. Upon inspection the dealer stated that Chrysler immediately shipped a power inverter module (pim) upon my Jeep being entered into the system. Since my issue, I have seen 3 other 4XE Jeeps pulled over and broken down in precarious positions. This is what prompted me to file this report, as I believe this may be an issue related to other 4XE Jeeps and if this is the case, it is only a matter of time before an accident that causes loss of life because of how severe and sudden the issue is. Thanks for looking out for our well being and everything y’all do at the federal safety agency.
Vehicle lost power while driving at highway speed, rapidly decelerating from 70 MPH to <20 MPH. Ignition was turned off after pulling off the highway. When vehicle restarted, alarms cleared and system temporarily operated normally. Problem returned shortly thereafter, but this time did so while accelerating across a street. This condition could have jeopardized safety of self or others by eliminating ability to maneuver/stranding vehicle in roadway. This incident was reported to dealership, who then inspected/investigated. Source is thought to be a faulty fuel pressure sensor. Warning lamps that accompanied this condition were: Check Engine, Sway Bar Link disconnected, and check 4-wheel drive. The check engine light appeared and reset approximately 60 miles prior, and no other symptoms were noted.
I was driving down the highway when the engine on my Wrangler 4xe suddenly shut off forcing me to cut off traffic to get to the shoulder. Numerous error messages were displaying but I did not have time to see them all. Final message I could see was "Charging System Error". After turning the Jeep off then back one the problem cleared. I suspect this was caused by the Adaptive Cruise Control system. It had started to brake hard for a car not actually in my lane. At the same moment people were pulling in behind me to move over for a police car on the shoulder. The Adaptive Cruise Control started what was a hard brake check on this traffic, so I overrode it by pressing on the accelerator, at which point it died. At the dealer they determined from the codes that the transmission control unit had shut off the engine control unit. Otherwise nothing could be determined as being wrong with the vehicle. Seeing all the other complaints of similar incidents involving Wranglers I think there is bad software code in the vehicle's control systems.
After 5 months and 5000 miles of use, the vehicle died hard while driving on the highway with "charging system error" and had to dangerously navigate to the shoulder. The vehicle was so broken not even the power locks would work. The dealer replaced the Power Distribution Unit (fuse box), but the part was the same, so they suspect it was an assembly issue. If you look at online forums, _dozens_ of people are having the same problem with this vehicle. What is even more concerning is that almost every person had a different fix - and many are having this as a repeat problem, with multiple people invoking the lemon law and having Jeep buy the vehicle back. This is very dangerous and broad issue. A recall is needed to protect the public. https://www.4xeforums.com/forums/2021-jeep-wrangler-4xe-general-discussion-forum.8/ https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/4xe-shut-down-on-highway-with-charge-error-think-i-know-what-causes-it-now.76544
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at 55 - 60 mph, the RPM gauge went high but the temperature gauge was normal. A burning odor was detected, metal grinding noises were heard, and the vehicle inadvertently lurched forward. The contact pulled over and saw that there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and remained at the dealer, not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact had the vehicle serviced at the dealer in March 2021, for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V028000 (Power Train). However, the failure recurred related to the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,700.
On 9/16/21, my vehicle dangerously lost power, following a very loud sound and a violent shudder. Power for braking and steering was lost. The vehicle had no response to the accelerator pedal. I attempted to coast to the shoulder of the road, when the vehicle slammed into park on its own while still traveling at roughly 15mph. The wheels locked and the vehicle came to a violent stop by itself, likely not activating the brake lights. The cooling fans came on at full speed, climate control cancelled itself, and the vehicle locked in park. While using the built in emergency button, the vehicle telematics shut down and dropped the dispatcher. I completed the emergency service call using my phone. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, initial reports are that it is not drivable, the main hybrid battery pack fuses are blown. The prior night, the vehicle failed to charge using the Jeep EVSE cable.
While driving the Jeep on the freeway, it shut off out of nowhere and came to a very quick halt. It nearly caused a major accident on the freeway. A few moments after the Jeep encountered this issue and shut off, I received a message on mu UConnect app saying that there was a Charging Fault Error. The incident has been reported multiple times online in Jeep forums for the new 2021 Jeep 4xe. Many people have reported that the Jeep shut off while driving at high speeds on the freeway, and the vehicle comes to a sudden and dangerous stop. This is what happened to me.
This vehicle is a plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler. On July 31, 2021 while returning home from vacation and driving at highway speeds (65mph +/-), the powertrain of the vehicle completely failed. The screen flashed that there was an electrical system malfunction and to pull over. The vehicle was very difficult to control as I had to travel across three lanes of high-speed traffic to get to an exit ramp. Fortunately, we made it safely to the exit ramp, where the vehicle completely shut down. This was the second time this happened. While driving to vacation on July 22, 2021, a similar incident occurred. The first incident, however, was not a complete failure. The vehicle's screen flashed that there was an electrical problem, but the vehicle did not completely stall. After pulling over, the vehicle restarted. At that time, I scheduled an appointment with the Jeep dealership to investigate the issue. That appointment was scheduled for August 1, 2021 (the day after the catastrophic failure).
The actual malfunctioning issue is UNKNOWN. However, my best explanation is as follows: While driving my new 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (which only has 1400 miles), on the highway at roughly 70 miles per hour and going up a hill, the vehicle felt as if it were trying to up-shift a gear but then immediately down-shift a gear. This up-shift and down-shift feeling continued in quick repetition over and over in a violent shaking manner that thrust the entire vehicle forwards and backwards as long as I continued the acceleration up the hill. Letting off the accelerator seemed to end the violent shaking. I pulled over on to the side of the highway to stop, and turned off the Jeep since the check engine light came on. I waited about five minutes and started up the Jeep again. The check engine light was still on, though. Any acceleration at any speed now causes the Jeep to violently thrust forwards and backwards like I experienced on the highway. I tried to get Jeep Roadside to tow the Jeep to a dealership, but learned how worthless this Jeep Roadside program truly was. Several days after this incident, and I still do not have my Jeep at a dealership for repairs, nor do I have a rental. Jeep Roadside refuses to tow my Jeep to a dealership that has a rental, and I cannot afford to pay the towing fee's to get to a dealership with a rental. The nearest dealerships tell me they are six to eight weeks out on loaner vehicles. I'm too worried to try and driving my Jeep the distance to reach a dealership with a rental, cause it is way too unsafe to operate this Jeep with the violent shaking. I'm curious if anyone else is having this same issue, or knows more.
My jeep wrangler has axle lockers. They are only supposed to be able to be engaged when the vehicle transfer case is set to 4wd low (4L). Since buying this jeep brand new, the vehicle information intermittently shows the axle lockers being engaged in 2wd high (2H). I have brought it to the dealer twice for this problem. First they reset the computer. The second time they replaced the 4wd module. The incorrect status is redisplayed again. I have only had this jeep for 2 months, it has less than 3000 miles on it. The dealer doesn't seem to know what the problem is. I have talked with Jeep corporate who also says they can find no reports of this issue. However the internet jeep forums are full of people reporting this problem, supposedly it is related to failed axle locker sensors on the Rubicon wranglers. It is common enough an aftermarket company sells a wiring harness that bypasses the sensor. Because the sensor is not available separately, eventually this requires the entire axle be replaced. Some people have had their axles replaced 3-4 times. There really should be a recall. More than a few posters have also stated their axles have locked by themselves in 2H. This could cause a crash as axle lockers are not designed for use on pavement or at high speeds. Here are some links to the the forums: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/%E2%80%9Cservice-axle-locker-system%E2%80%9D-light-on.13241/ https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/what-happens-when-the-axle-lock-sensor-fails.67068/ https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/random-service-axle-locker-system.35153/ https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jl-rubicon-owners-keep-your-locker-sensors-from-failing-how-to-pot-your-sensors.56892/ Here is a link to the wiring harness sold because it is such a common problem https://www.zautomotive.com/product/z_lkr_oem/ The attached photo shows the car in 2H, the lock symbol over the axle, driving 70mph
This is about the new Jeep Rubicon 4XE Hybrid Wrangler. We were traveling slowly on a dirt road in our new Jeep. Suddenly it began to slow down and it stopped. It would not move any further. The shifter was frozen in Park. Lights and warnings were illuminated on the dash that were not on before this happened. We were in a wilderness and had no cell reception whatsoever. It would not start, drive or otherwise move. Eventually someone came by and took us into a small town where we called the dealer for assistance. They told us to call Jeep Roadside Assistance. We came close to having to spend the night out there in 40 degree weather with no ability to walk out 14 miles in total darkness. The Jeep was towed to the dealer where it remains 7 days later. It has 183 miles on it. Purchased it on May 29 and it broke down on June 2. The failure seemed to be electrical and across the board. It is the 4XE Hybrid, and the internet is littered with stories just like ours of this Jeep failing and stranding people or stopping on freeways or in intersections. We don't think it was ready for market when they introduced it for sale.Had this happened on a freeway it could have been disasterous for us and others around us.
' immediately after purchase of my 2 door 2021 jeep wrangler jl (anniversary) the rear video camera stopped working at start up, and continued to be an ongoing issue, despite software reinstalls. ' two and a half months after purchase and with just 2000 miles on it, while driving in the rain I noticed that approximately 10 seconds after I put on the windshield wipers, the dashboard light would dim significantly, which made it difficult and distracting to see the speed at which I was driving, or the cruise control. Dimming migrated quickly after that to the monitor which became hard to read or see. Uconnect was also not working with images and audio being in discernable. ' not long after that, I noticed that the cruise control was also increasing the MPH on its own while it was being set. Clearly having electrical issues. ' five days later going somewhere between 40-50mph on a highway, the jeep shifted into manual and I could no longer accelerate. Luckily, there was not a lot of traffic and I coasted to the side of the road and pulled into a parking lot where I stopped the car, shut it off, turned it back on. The car was still working, but I was scared by what clearly could have been a life-threatening circumstance. ' at the dealership while the car was being delivered to me in the garage by an employee, it stopped driving in front of many employees and myself. The windshield wipers were going as fast as possible and rain was pouring down, and the car slipped into manual or park, and becoming undrivable. ' the car clearly has serious safety problems with the transmission and my dealership seems unconcerned about the safety of their clients. The jeep continues to be a concern for me, and I do not feel safe driving it. I also believe this is not a new problem for jeeps.
2021 rubicon 88 days old 2097 miles. 3/27/2021. Purchased 1/3/2021. Dash warning intermittent service axle locker system. I have never used my axle lockers once. Came on after riding up a very short dirt hill in 4l after shifting back to 4h then my dash began flashing intermittently service axle locker system on and off. Had to drive it home this way with the alert flashing on ans off. Got into driveway and differential tried to lock itself in my driveway while backing and filling into garage. This is dangerous. If differential locks at 70mph on freeway or going down step winding road unexpectedly fear this could cause an accident. At dealer now. Replaced rear axle assembly. Still broken, throwing codes, dealer trying other things. Please know not isolated situation. Many wrangler owners from 2018 to 2021 posting this up. According to jl wrangler forum, fca does not have a fix yet. This should not be happening on a $55k vehicle in first 90 days! Several owners on 3rd and 4th axle replacements. There are 30 pages of complaints on this. Https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/'service-axle-locker-system'-light-on.13241/page-30#post-1420979 I decided to report this as it appears from the forum fca does not have a fix this is appearing on several jeep wrangler rubicon's but no one has reported it here that I can find.
While towing the manual transmission jeep wrangler rubicon (transfer case in neutral and transmission in 1st gear) 4 wheels down there was an explosion under the jeep with a ball of fire. The vehicle was incapacitated. There was not any smoke, noise or indications of an issue before and up to the explosion. This happened on a straight smooth 4 lane road at 40 MPH.
Only 500 miles on vehicle, went off-roading for the first time and within a short time after climbing a steep hill, smoke came from under vehicle and clutch went to floor and stayed. Turned jeep off, pumped clutch which seemed fine but smoke continued for a minute. Went under vehicle after smoke stopped and saw burnt fibers coming out from transmission case. Restarted vehicle and no movement. Towed jeep out to home. Jeep roadside took it to dealership. Apparently the clutch switch plate overheated, flashed, and completely burned away! There's a recall I was unaware of but now 500 miles on brand new jeep and clutch plate, pressure plate, etc must be replaced. Jeep is at tate branch jeep in carlsbad nm where they can give details on damage.
There is an active recall for this jeep model. I took it to the dealer today, february 9, 2021, to get it fix and they do not have the parts. The dealer (planet dodge in miami, fl) instructed me to call fca group (fiat chrysler automobile -- owners of jeep), which I did in front of them, and no fixing or resolution. Part of the recall states heated debris expelled from the transmission case may come in contact with combustible materials in the vehicle, potentially leading to a fire.
Driving on the freeway and "service shifter" warning appeared on and off. Also, while driving on a city street the warning came on and off. Lights on the shifter flashed. Dealership says the valve body in the transmission is defective and needs to be replaced or the whole transmission needs to be replaced. They stated it's a serious safety concern because the car can stop shifting altogether while driving.
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