2017 Jeep Cherokee

[teekay]

Anybody towing a 2017 Jeep Cherokee? Have issues from previous years been corrected for the 2017 model year?

[Betr2Trvl]

I would asume the 2017s have the additional harness to allow power to feed the PS system, but would be interested to know / see how they are doing it on the 2017s since they have had a year to improve upon the "add on" half baked supposed "fix".

I need to take our 2015 Trailhawk in for an oil change and get the harness installed, so hopefully I can take a look at the 2017s then......

As a refract, there are 4 or 5 threads on 2014-2016 Cherokees under this forum, which provide more information, insight, and speculation than you'll ever want; just search or scroll through the next 4 or 5 pages, and you'll find them.

[SuperGewl]

If the one you get does not have the Flat Tow Wire Harness then you need to get it installed as part of the deal for the vehicle. Check the Owners Manual for Recreational Towing.
Now as far as there actually being a problem, there is not actually one. It all has to do with the movement between the Hitch and the Receiver. If there is any movement between them, then you may get what they call the Death Wobble. What it is, is the Oscillations that are started between the steering system going back and forth and then not being able to stop it from happening due to the movement of the hitch and receiver.
I don't use their FIX and have never had the Death Wobble. I do have the Roadmaster Quite Hitch installed on my receiver so there is no play what so ever.
It's not just a Jeep thing, others have had the same problem, but the Cherokee is the one that got the bad rep.

[RiderCoach]

I'm a little confused here. We just bought a 2017 Cherokee Trailhawk, installed Roadmaster brackets and purchased an Even Brake system - after being assured the vehicle is good to go for four-down towing. Now I think I'm understanding I need a wiring harness? I just read in the Owner's Manuel that the manufacturer says it should not be flat-towed. I'm doing a slow burn and getting ready to blow a gasket.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by RiderCoach

I'm a little confused here. We just bought a 2017 Cherokee Trailhawk, installed Roadmaster brackets and purchased an Even Brake system - after being assured the vehicle is good to go for four-down towing. Now I think I'm understanding I need a wiring harness? I just read in the Owner's Manuel that the manufacturer says it should not be flat-towed. I'm doing a slow burn and getting ready to blow a gasket.

Yep, you got bit by FCA. They do advertise that it is Flat Towable. But now you must purchase a "OOPs we screwed up" harness and fix to allow it to be towed flat and not damage the car.
Actually if you read my previous post it might explain it better.

Now go back to the dealer and pay the $100+ dollars for the harness and the $100+ to get it installed so that you may actually Flat Tow the car.

[Betr2Trvl]

In follow up to my earlier post, I just read elsewhere, that the 2017s still do not include the tow harness, and that it is necessary (in theory at least) to have your dealer install it, which of course they may still be oblivious to since just a small percentage of jeeps are actually towed.

Again, I've towed for 15,000 and have had no issues, but will get the harness installed sooner than later "just because".

[BobGed]

I'm going to disagree that the cause of the shaking is due to the movement between the hitch and the receiver.

When this problem first surfaced on the FMCA and Jeep Cherokee forums last year, FCA at first maintained there was no problem with the Cherokee, and that it must be due to the towing equipment being used or the way the owners were connecting the vehicle to their coaches.

The problem then became so wide spread that FCA was forced to do some testing. That testing brought them to the conclusion that the problem was due to their electronic steering system being inactive while the vehicle was being towed. That in turn lead them to come up with the towed wiring kit solution, sending an addendum to all 2014 - 2015, and some 2016, owners and changing the requirements in the manual that the wiring kit must be used when towing.

I know there are many owners that unfortunately paid between $500 and $550 to have the kit installed. I, and many others after contacting JeepCares, were able to get FCA to cover the installation costs.

Why would FCA go to all this trouble and expense if the cause was in any way related to the movement of the towing equipment?

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by BobGed

I'm going to disagree that the cause of the shaking is due to the movement between the hitch and the receiver.

When this problem first surfaced on the FMCA and Jeep Cherokee forums last year, FCA at first maintained there was no problem with the Cherokee, and that it must be due to the towing equipment being used or the way the owners were connecting the vehicle to their coaches.

The problem then became so wide spread that FCA was forced to do some testing. That testing brought them to the conclusion that the problem was due to their electronic steering system being inactive while the vehicle was being towed. That in turn lead them to come up with the towed wiring kit solution, sending an addendum to all 2014 - 2015, and some 2016, owners and changing the requirements in the manual that the wiring kit must be used when towing.

I know there are many owners that unfortunately paid between $500 and $550 to have the kit installed. I, and many others after contacting JeepCares, were able to get FCA to cover the installation costs.

Why would FCA go to all this trouble and expense if the cause was in any way related to the movement of the towing equipment?

They could not prove otherwise because the Wobble does not happen all the time. In fact this same issue happens on other brands of cars. The one thing they figured out is that if you keep pressure on the steering system (aka apply power to it) it helps to mitigate the issue.
Now take into consideration that it does want to start to wobble (actually sway back and forth) and you continue these oscillations up thru the receiver which is not tight, it will continue to oscillate until the forces put upon it stop, ie the forward motion of the car.
In other words Newton's Law of motion.
Point proven, if you properly lock down your hitch and receiver so you get no movement and have your receiver height set correctly so as to not change the ride height of your car it should not continue wobble when you hit a bump or pothole. Due to my setup I have not seen the issue and have driven this setup across the country in allsorts of terrain and road conditions. I do have the "Fix" (for the warranty) but don't use it.
So I say the cause of the shaking in fact not due to the movement of the receiver/hitch but is magnified to the point of violent shaking once it starts that oscillation and cannot be stopped except to stop.
I would be curious to find out exactly what brand of Base plates and hitch setup people have, that have experienced the Death Wobble. It may also be a brand thing.

[Betr2Trvl]

Originally Posted by SuperGewl

They could not prove otherwise because the Wobble does not happen all the time. In fact this same issue happens on other brands of cars. The one thing they figured out is that if you keep pressure on the steering system (aka apply power to it) it helps to mitigate the issue.
Now take into consideration that it does want to start to wobble (actually sway back and forth) and you continue these oscillations up thru the receiver which is not tight, it will continue to oscillate until the forces put upon it stop, ie the forward motion of the car.
In other words Newton's Law of motion.
Point proven, if you properly lock down your hitch and receiver so you get no movement and have your receiver height set correctly so as to not change the ride height of your car it should not continue wobble when you hit a bump or pothole. Due to my setup I have not seen the issue and have driven this setup across the country in allsorts of terrain and road conditions. I do have the "Fix" (for the warranty) but don't use it.
So I say the cause of the shaking in fact not due to the movement of the receiver/hitch but is magnified to the point of violent shaking once it starts that oscillation and cannot be stopped except to stop.
I would be curious to find out exactly what brand of Base plates and hitch setup people have, that have experienced the Death Wobble. It may also be a brand thing.

I am on the same page as you are and have posted similar thoughts on other threads here. The wobble is a symptom of something, and the steering itself not the root cause. It's certainly not consitant, nor do I know of anyone being able to re-create it. There are even times I prepare myself for it, such as uneven road surfaces in construction zones.......

And many people have not had the wobble at all, me included; with the exception of a very hard, tight, very slow speed right / left turn into a gas station going over a very significant dip, then up. In fact, I fully expected it to happen, because there was no way for the Jeep tires, or any other vehicle is my guess, to make that transition.

The factors that I can think of would include base plate / base plate width (do all baseplates connect to the Jeep at the same point, and are the connection points the same between the Trailhawks and other models; my connection points are where the red hooks used to be....), tow bar type, tow bar angle (related to hitch height and baseplate connection point), tow bar tightness in the receiver, toad brake set up, and toad tires/tire pressures (I certainly think the larger tires on the Trailhawk are a key reason Trailhawks seem to be less prone to the wobble). Then, with that, you have to encounter a specific condition at a specific speed to trigger it which as noted, no one can seem to define, including Jeep.

Yes, I'm finally going to get the kit installed in Jan., but that's just a cya......

[Rockwood27]

I'm just a casual observer here, but one who is looking for a 4 down SUV toad. If you read the Chevy Equinox thread, there appears to be a similar issue with wobble and electronic steering. My observations are all Equinox must have a fuse removed for towing. The 4 cylinder Equinox with electric steering can develop a wobble issue, whereas the 6 cylinder version with hydraulic steering does not. If the owner replaces the fuse on the 4 cylinder model, the wobble apparently goes away (at the risk of running the battery down). The wobble does not appear to be associated with the tow bar type as many different manufacturers are used.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by Rockwood27

I'm just a casual observer here, but one who is looking for a 4 down SUV toad. If you read the Chevy Equinox thread, there appears to be a similar issue with wobble and electronic steering. My observations are all Equinox must have a fuse removed for towing. The 4 cylinder Equinox with electric steering can develop a wobble issue, whereas the 6 cylinder version with hydraulic steering does not. If the owner replaces the fuse on the 4 cylinder model, the wobble apparently goes away (at the risk of running the battery down). The wobble does not appear to be associated with the tow bar type as many different manufacturers are used.

Yes this is true. I have stated this in previous post. Its not just a Jeep Cherokee thing. The one thing in common is the EPS systems, since there is not pressure applied to help keep the wheels straight they may start the wobble.
But as many have stated they cannot recreate the issue and it does not happen to all and it depends on the type of tow bar and base plates.
So its just a lot of variables that need to be plotted out to narrow it down to the issue that really need to be fixed.

[allegro1x]

teekay, sorry to hear about your problems. You might want to go to someone that is a roadmaster or blueox dealer and see what they recommend. From my experience most car dealers don't really know what to do concerning toads. Luckly for me a local garage where I live is also a rv user and knows how to fix things. I guess other than a Wrangler my 2007 Liberty will be my last Jeep product that will be a toad. Dave

[TwelveVolt]

Originally Posted by allegro1x

teekay, sorry to hear about your problems. You might want to go to someone that is a roadmaster or blueox dealer and see what they recommend. From my experience most car dealers don't really know what to do concerning toads. Luckly for me a local garage where I live is also a rv user and knows how to fix things. I guess other than a Wrangler my 2007 Liberty will be my last Jeep product that will be a toad. Dave

I agree with not relying on the dealership. I stopped in to a Jeep dealership looking for a toad. The salesman did his best and spent a lot of time on his smart phone doing his homework. A few days later I had a call from the dealership's "expert" kid who informed me that only manual transmissions can be towed, and I would have to learn to drive a stick. He was so adamant that any discussion would be futile. I thanked him and said I would get right on that.

[vsheetz]

Originally Posted by TwelveVolt

I agree with not relying on the dealership. I stopped in to a Jeep dealership looking for a toad. The salesman did his best and spent a lot of time on his smart phone doing his homework. A few days later I had a call from the dealership's "expert" kid who informed me that only standard transmissions could be towed.

Scary what dealerships don't know about the Jeeps they sell. You need a shop that specializes in Jeeps.