Jeep wants you to pay for a flat tow harness to fix the wobble

[The Shadow]

We recently spend some time on at an RV park on the west coast of Michigan. While we were there a chap drove in with a new Winnie Class A and he was towing a brand new 2016 Cherokee. I decided to have a chat with him.

I asked him if he had the wiring harness done and he had no idea what I was talking about. He had only had the MH and the Cherokee for a couple of weeks. I asked him to raise the hood of his Cherokee. When he did it was clear that the wiring harness had not been installed. He had an SMI braking system installed and it required power from the MH which had been installed. I described the death wobble to him and suggested that he keep an eye on the toad in the rear camera and if it starts the wobble he should come to a stop and then start up again - and head to a Jeep dealer for the fix. I also had a look in his owners guide and there was no mention of the wiring harness and the requirement that it be installed in order to tow four down and he did not have the supplement either.

I contacted the Jeep Cares folks on Jeep Garage and informed them about this chap and the reply I received was as follows:

Hi Don,

The manual should be updated, depending on the build date of his vehicle, or it should have the addendum card. The towing kit is available to be ordered through the dealership--it is not something as of now that is included in the vehicle, it is still currently considered an accessory. He likely is enrolled in the Jeep Wave program with it being a new vehicle, so I would tell him to reach out to them, or give us a call in the Customer Care Department if he has any other questions.

Kori
Jeep Social Care Specialist

I have a feeling that FCA feels that anyone who bought their Cherokee after the "issue" became known would have to pay for the wiring harness and the installation cost.

I have no problem with this approach PROVIDED a buyer is fully aware of it before he/she buys a Cherokee and understands the he/she will have to pay for the fix and add power from the MH. (We purchased the RVi power to the toad device and it worked well. Battery stayed fully charged after six hours of towing with an hour brake for lunch in the middle of the trip.) This is no different than buying a toad and adding baseplates for example. The operating guide doesn't mention baseplates and you sure can't tow without them - but every buyer knows they are required which is NOT the case with the harness.

The fact that this fellow (who, seemed very reluctant to believe me and I believe drove off two days later thinking I had made up the problem) had no idea of the issue and the required fix, I really question whether or not buyers are being fairly informed of the issue and the requirements to tow. Did his dealer have a clue? If not, why not? FCA should have made it very clear to all dealers and their service departments that this problem has to be addressed when towing is involved. It is possible, of course, that the selling dealer was not aware that he was going to tow it.

FCA took about a year to formally recognize that there was a problem and that the death wobble was caused by the EAPS and not wheel alignment and other issues that were raised incorrectly as the reason. In fact, it appears to me that FCA only recognized the problem after FMCA contacted them and provided a list of owners who were encountering the wobble and video of the problem (which can be found on youtube). Then, they took about a year to get a fix designed and delivered and that was followed by confusion as to whether or not owners would have to pay or FCA would pay.

We did not have to pay BUT a few weeks ago I received a phone call from FCA Customer Care and the representative asked if the concern that caused them to open a file had been resolved. The caller told me that owners (in Canada at least) were to pay for the fix. I told her that I did not pay for it and that I was going to send them the bill for the RVI power to the toad. I made it clear that I bought the Cherokee based on the representations of FCA as reflected in the owners manual and supported by assertions by the dealer and those representations never mentioned the need for the harness and power. For the $57.50 it cost (ignoring installation time and effort) I'm not going to bother sending them the bill and taking a lot more time trying to collect.

I recently decided to dispense of my 2014 Town & Country. I had the Durango on my list of possibles. I drove the Pacifica and really liked it. The ride is much improved. However, given the problems I've had with our 2014 Cherokee Limited I decided I would give the Pacifica a few years to "mature" and get rid of the bugs before I consider it. So, I bought a new 2016 Ford Expedition Max (EL) Platinum. We need a lot of carrying space and the T&C was wonderful. The Durango simply did not have it but the Expedition came very close to the T&C and also has excellent towing capacity.

We are now thinking of trading the Cherokee which has less than 24,000 miles on it. It will be three years old in November and if we decide not to trade it we will certainly by the extended warranty. If we do trade it, I don't think anything in the FCA lineup is going to be considered.

GR

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by rream

Name one Honda that is currently approved towable by Honda

Fit and CR-Z manual transmission vehicles are towable four down.

[Mr_D]

I went looking at used Jeeps today, specifically Grand Cherokees in red. Found two, both were '15's first one only had 7,000+ miles on it and drove nice, but had a Quadra Trak I, so that one is out. The second had 39,000+ miles, leather interior and Quadra Trak II but had a shudder and steering wheel wobble under braking, also the pass side front disk seemed to have some heat checking on it. Both were about $29,000. Too bad the second one has so many miles and the braking shudder. Neither had the tow harness on them.
Might have the transmission name wrong, my '97 GC had the Quadra Trak II setup so I might have it wrong.

[The Shadow]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Fit and CR-Z manual transmission vehicles are towable four down.

What is a CR-Z - or do you mean CR-V.

For 2016 FMCA reports that the Fit, Civic and HR-V are towable four down only with manual transmission and FWD.

So, one would have to want one of these vehicles and I don't.

The CR-V is no longer towable as it has a CVT.

When all the prep work is done the Cherokee is a great toad.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by The Shadow

What is a CR-Z - or do you mean CR-V.

For 2016 FMCA reports that the Fit, Civic and HR-V are towable four down only with manual transmission and FWD.

So, one would have to want one of these vehicles and I don't.

The CR-V is no longer towable as it has a CVT.

When all the prep work is done the Cherokee is a great toad.

OK, I was thinking of the HR-V and got it wrong although there is a CR-Z manual trans car. http://shop.honda.com/cr-z.aspx

[rpasetto]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

I went looking at used Jeeps today, specifically Grand Cherokees in red. Found two, both were '15's first one only had 7,000+ miles on it and drove nice, but had a Quadra Trak I, so that one is out. The second had 39,000+ miles, leather interior and Quadra Trak II but had a shudder and steering wheel wobble under braking, also the pass side front disk seemed to have some heat checking on it. Both were about $29,000. Too bad the second one has so many miles and the braking shudder. Neither had the tow harness on them.
Might have the transmission name wrong, my '97 GC had the Quadra Trak II setup so I might have it wrong.

The tow harness issue/service bulletin only applies to the KL Cherokee, not the GC which is a very different vehicle. I do not know if there is an issue with GC wobble like there is with the smaller Cherokee. The QT II Grand Cherokee you test drove with the wobble under braking is likely a totally different issue..

[lakewoodpaul]

On my 3rd jeep toad which is a trailhawk 2016 bought new in may of this year, about 3000 mi behind my 33 ft motorhome and so far no problems. In fact I feel it tows better then my 06 liberty did possibly because the hitch plate on the Cherokee is wider then the Liberty was.Im not aware if the afore mentioned wire harness is installed.

[rpasetto]

Originally Posted by lakewoodpaul

On my 3rd jeep toad which is a trailhawk 2016 bought new in may of this year, about 3000 mi behind my 33 ft motorhome and so far no problems. In fact I feel it tows better then my 06 liberty did possibly because the hitch plate on the Cherokee is wider then the Liberty was.Im not aware if the afore mentioned wire harness is installed.

This wobble issue is worth checking into for your 2016. The wire harness was designed by Jeep as a fix for towed Cherokees; it was installed on '14 and '15 models to activate the electronic power steering system. The EPS, when activated, prevents a wobble condition and this type of wobble would occur with Cherokees being towed under certain conditions, like potholes, rr tracks, and the like. Some owners reported no problems for a few thousand miles... and then it happened.

[BobGed]

FCA is not doing a good job handling this requirement at all. If you go to Jeep Owners | Download an Owners Manual | Jeep for the latest versions of the Owner's Manual & User Guide, and go to the Towing Behind a Recreational Vehicle section, the attached is what you should find for the 2014/2016 Cherokees.

The first screen shot is from the Owner's manual sixth edition. and the second is from the User guide fourth edition. However the interesting thing is they do not include the instructions on how to use the kit to activate/deactivate the EPS kit.

The previous editions of the above manuals did not mention the need for a Mopar wiring kit, and I believe that is why Kori at JeepCares has been able to get FCA to install the kits free of charge for those of us that own those vehicles. As I understand it from Kori the 2014/15 are definitely covered, and possibly some early production 2016s.

Those that didn't have the requirement in the manuals in the vehicle should have received a notification of the requirement, I know I and many others did. I would be willing to bet that anyone that has purchased a 2016 has either received the notification or has an updated manual in the vehicle with the new wording as shown on the attachments.

Some have chosen to ignore the required kit installation since they have towed their Cherokees thousands of miles without any trouble. The main problem with this thinking is if the violent shaking should happen in the future and be responsible for causing damage or injury to others, FCA has now transferred any liability to the vehicle owner.

There is also a myth floating around that it only happens at speeds less than 25 mph, and can't happen to a Trailhawk. I have read posts where this is not true, one by I believe a member of this forum, that owns a Trailhawk and had the shaking occur at approximately 50 mph transitioning from I-405 to Hwy 101 in CA.

The only way to stop the shaking is to come to a COMPLETE stop.

[rpasetto]

Originally Posted by BobGed

FCA is not doing a good job handling this requirement at all. If you go to Jeep Owners | Download an Owners Manual | Jeep for the latest versions of the Owner's Manual & User Guide, and go to the Towing Behind a Recreational Vehicle section, the attached is what you should find for the 2014/2016 Cherokees.

The first screen shot is from the Owner's manual sixth edition. and the second is from the User guide fourth edition. However the interesting thing is they do not include the instructions on how to use the kit to activate/deactivate the EPS kit.

The previous editions of the above manuals did not mention the need for a Mopar wiring kit, and I believe that is why Kori at JeepCares has been able to get FCA to install the kits free of charge for those of us that own those vehicles. As I understand it from Kori the 2014/15 are definitely covered, and possibly some early production 2016s.

Those that didn't have the requirement in the manuals in the vehicle should have received a notification of the requirement, I know I and many others did. I would be willing to bet that anyone that has purchased a 2016 has either received the notification or has an updated manual in the vehicle with the new wording as shown on the attachments.

Some have chosen to ignore the required kit installation since they have towed their Cherokees thousands of miles without any trouble. The main problem with this thinking is if the violent shaking should happen in the future and be responsible for causing damage or injury to others, FCA has now transferred any liability to the vehicle owner.

There is also a myth floating around that it only happens at speeds less than 25 mph, and can't happen to a Trailhawk. I have read posts where this is not true, one by I believe a member of this forum, that owns a Trailhawk and had the shaking occur at approximately 50 mph transitioning from I-405 to Hwy 101 in CA.

The only way to stop the shaking is to come to a COMPLETE stop.

I agree with everything you're saying here, BobGed. One thing to add is that there are many reports of dealers who are not aware of the towed-wobble problem... or at least say they're not aware.

Also, as I pointed out to Kori earlier, there are at least three places on the Jeep website where the 'towed-capability' of the Cherokee AD2 models are mentioned which do not refer to the 'optional' tow-harness. That information may be buried somewhere in website and/or brochures, but the salient point is that it should be duly noted everywhere the flat-tow-behind-motorhome capability of the KL Cherokee is advertised.

[BobGed]

Originally Posted by rpasetto

I agree with everything you're saying here, BobGed. One thing to add is that there are many reports of dealers who are not aware of the towed-wobble problem... or at least say they're not aware.

Also, as I pointed out to Kori earlier, there are at least three places on the Jeep website where the 'towed-capability' of the Cherokee AD2 models are mentioned which do not refer to the 'optional' tow-harness. That information may be buried somewhere in website and/or brochures, but the salient point is that it should be duly noted everywhere the flat-tow-behind-motorhome capability of the KL Cherokee is advertised.

I agree with you, Rick, as this is what I was referring to in my first sentence.

[dpinvidic]

A BIG +1 on Kori from the JeepCherokeeClub.

Search for user name "Jeep Cares", Kori is the one who responds.

Contact her and she will work with the dealer for you.
Many dealers have not "Gotten The Memo".

I installed the cable myself. I sent Kori the receipt, and she sent me a check for the $135.

I think it might become a different story for the new cars which actually state in the manual that you need the cable...you might have to pay for it.

UNLESS the dealer told you it was Falt Towable "AS IS"...then your beef is with the dealer.

Dan

[Lyn]

Can anyone tell me the weight of this vehicle?

I was unable to find it on the Jeep website.

[BobGed]

Originally Posted by Lyn

Can anyone tell me the weight of this vehicle?

I was unable to find it on the Jeep website.

According to Google the base tare weight of the 2016 Cherokee TH is 4,028 lbs.