Beware Jeep Wrangler Tow

[taratiffin]

Arrived yesterday at Ouray, Co. for a week of fun with our new 2019 Jeep Wrangler. Went to unhook and found the battery dead. Got a jump and proceeded to check in. Came back out and the motor had turned itself off. It was doing all kind of weird electrical things on the dash and would not start. Called local jeep dealer and told them of the problems and the first thing they ask was this the new turbo 4 and I said yes. I was informed that they were having problems with it and it had to be towed to the dealer. Waiting on results(of course this was late Fri. afternoon). This was a Wrangler Unlimited Sahara with 2000 miles on it.

[FLSteve]

Originally Posted by taratiffin

Arrived yesterday at Ouray, Co. for a week of fun with our new 2019 Jeep Wrangler. Went to unhook and found the battery dead. Got a jump and proceeded to check in. Came back out and the motor had turned itself off. It was doing all kind of weird electrical things on the dash and would not start. Called local jeep dealer and told them of the problems and the first thing they ask was this the new turbo 4 and I said yes. I was informed that they were having problems with it and it had to be towed to the dealer. Waiting on results(of course this was late Fri. afternoon). This was a Wrangler Unlimited Sarah with 2000 miles on it.

taratiffin ... what systems do you use for your braking and lighting connections?

FLSteve

[Chief Alen]

Exactly the reason I never buy the first year new engine or car.

Like to wait for the 3rd year, bugs by then are ironed out.

[Benjaminw675]

I am curious all the details too as I just purchased a new 2019 wrangler Sahara for towing.

[TJ]

I don't know all the specifics of what's required to tow that particular vehicle, but before jumping to too many conclusions, several things should be considered. First, was the electrical connection between the coach and towed installed correctly? Could something have been cross-wired, causing the battery to drain? Faulty plug or socket?

Then, were any and all manufacturer recommendations followed when towing this vehicle? Fuses pulled, etc? Could something else have caused the battery to drain...headlights or radio left on, perhaps. AC fan? Or, could the battery have failed prematurely? It does happen.

It would appear that the drained battery caused the vehicle's computer to run amok. It will be interesting to hear what the final diagnosis and cure is.

TJ

[lass]

Towed my JLUR for 6400 miles this summer and it was flawless except for 1 time when I did have a dead battery. Following the recommended sequence, the final step is to be in the off position but with my automatic, the stop start button requires 2 pushes. I apparently left the ignition in the ACC position and it drained my battery. Being careful to be in the OFF mode, I never had the problem again.

For information, I received a notice from FCA which says that they will replace my front steering damper in order to prevent oscillation of the steering system. Never had the problem but I’ll get it done anyway.

[Boilervol]

We tow 2019 Cherokee Overland with the same engine. I did install a separate battery charge line with voltage regulator from the coach to the toad battery. We’ve covered over 14,000 miles and no issues.

[TonyDi]

Many dead batteries can be avoided by running a charge line from the MH to the toad. It's easy to do and not expensive. Mine is in the wiring harness. When I plug in the charge line is hot.

[Golfer Guy]

Timely post.

I too have the 2019 Jeep Rubicon, but not the new Turbo 4 engine. With the push button Start/ACC/Stop it is easy to leave the Jeep in the ACC position without being aware of it. Pretty sure I did that and after a couple days of not using the Jeep found the battery very dead.

Just today when I pulled into my overnight spot after towing the Jeep for two days again I found the battery dead. This time I know I did not leave it in the ACC position. I need to figure out how to set up the charge line like Tony DI talked about in the wiring harness. Not sure what is draining battery.

Using the Airforce One breaking system, perhaps it is that.

Just found this for the Roadmaster towed viechle charge kit. Should solve the problem easy to do too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXPtNvTFouE

I do love the new Jeep though, Awesome.

[taratiffin]

Would you guys who don't have an idea please refrain. I have been towing now for 15 years and this has nothing to do with towing. When I jump started the jeep the windshield wipers would come on even though they were turned off. The power windows would not work. The anti lock brake warning was flashing. The traction control warning was flashing. The dealer said they were having problems with the new tubo 4. They told me they have one that has been in the shop for 3 weeks and they can't figure out what to do. I was posting to warn other people of the problem with the new turbo 4.

[TJ]

Originally Posted by taratiffin

Would you guys who don't have an idea please refrain. I have been towing now for 15 years and this has nothing to do with towing. When I jump started the jeep the windshield wipers would come on even though they were turned off. The power windows would not work. The anti lock brake warning was flashing. The traction control warning was flashing. The dealer said they were having problems with the new tubo 4. They told me they have one that has been in the shop for 3 weeks and they can't figure out what to do. I was posting to warn other people of the problem with the new turbo 4.

Sorry if you were offended by people trying to help you determine the potential cause of your Wrangler problem. Now that we understand your initial post was simply a rant, we'll leave you alone.

TJ

[BobGed]

Originally Posted by taratiffin

Would you guys who don't have an idea please refrain. I have been towing now for 15 years and this has nothing to do with towing. When I jump started the jeep the windshield wipers would come on even though they were turned off. The power windows would not work. The anti lock brake warning was flashing. The traction control warning was flashing. The dealer said they were having problems with the new tubo 4. They told me they have one that has been in the shop for 3 weeks and they can't figure out what to do. I was posting to warn other people of the problem with the new turbo 4.

Your topic heading was "Beware Jeep Wrangler Tow" You probably should have been more specific.

[Dutch Star Don]

"taratiffin"....Hopefully they can figure it out quickly. Even though these vehicles are okay to tow, there can be glitches. When the current generation of the Colorado/Canyon came out a few years ago, they were doing crazy things and staying locked in neutral after they were towed. I'm sure they'll fix it and soon have a software update to stop future issues.

Don't ask me how I learned this.....but I now carry a pair of jumper cables that can reach from my rear (DP) starting batteries to my toad.

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

.

Don't ask me how I learned this.....but I now carry a pair of jumper cables that can reach from my rear (DP) starting batteries to my toad.

That's a good idea.