[Knee_on_steve]

I hate that this is my first post, but I just experienced while driving a completely glitched dash screen and loss of power steering, ABS, auto start, shifter…and probably more since I had to focus on not crashing. Anyone else have an experience like this?
Jeep is less than 2 years old with <20k on it and no off-roading.
Thanks for any help. That was scary.

 

[Tripletap]

Maybe a loose battery cable?

 

[Kraxler]

I had something similar happen. It was a bad connection to the security module under the dash in my case. Actually, it was a bad jumper cable to extend the two wire bundles going to the security module. When that was removed everything is back to normal.

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Thanks guys. It’s on a flatbed and on its way to a garage. Crossing fingers that it’s a battery and we aren’t fluking cables for the next week!

 

[rgreen65]

At two years of age, the factory battery may also be an issue. Have it load tested as well as check the cable connections. I got 3 1/2 years out of my factory battery on my JK, but that is far longer than most.

 

[Mikes14willys]

Do you have a winch or radio or something wired to the battery? I had an issue with my jk months after installing a quick connect for my winch and my jumper cables. My Jeep would light up the dash with every error light it had then it would just go away. I didn’t notice any loss of power steering but I was going straight. It happened multiple times before I took it to the dealer. They said I had my power wires connected to the wrong stud on my battery posts. . I honestly didn’t think it mattered but after they swapped them I never had the issue. Since you guys are talking about batteries. Mine lasted 6 years in my jk before I had to replace it.

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Do you have a winch or radio or something wired to the battery? I had an issue with my jk months after installing a quick connect for my winch and my jumper cables. My Jeep would light up the dash with every error light it had then it would just go away. I didn’t notice any loss of power steering but I was going straight. It happened multiple times before I took it to the dealer. They said I had my power wires connected to the wrong stud on my battery posts. . I honestly didn’t think it mattered but after they swapped them I never had the issue. Since you guys are talking about batteries. Mine lasted 6 years in my jk before I had to replace it.

No mods on it yet. What ever it is, it’s from the factory…

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Thanks all for the responses. It’s on the schedule for Monday AM…I’ll post what they find!

 

[Strommen95]

Have you had the auxiliary battery replaced or played around with the power distribution center(the fuse box) at all?

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Have you had the auxiliary battery replaced or played around with the power distribution center(the fuse box) at all?

Nope…all original factory parts…no tinkering.

 

[aldo90731]

I’ve seen other posts like this; sometimes it happened as soon as the Jeep was driven off the lot.

From what I recall, it was the auxiliary battery not keeping charge, and/or a defective auxiliary battery charging harness.

Hope you get it resolved quickly.

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Quick Update - faulty auxiliary battery. Thanks all for the thoughts and tips!

 

[aldo90731]

Quick Update - faulty auxiliary battery. Thanks all for the thoughts and tips!

See...?

Glad the dealer finally got it figured out.

The bigger mystery is why dealers always act like this is the first time they encounter this issue.

 

[aldo90731]

BTW - the dealer will likely replace the auxiliary battery with a new one of the exact same type. The only way to move on from this happening again is by swapping out that crummy OE battery.

Whenever you have a weekend over the next couple months with 3-4 hours to spare, drive to your local O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store, buy one of their Super Start batteries, and swap it out. Their parts counter staff is pretty good at telling you exactly what battery you need.

There are two methods for swapping out the auxiliary battery: (1) through the front passenger-side fender, and (2) through the engine compartment. Dealers normally use Method (1). I prefer Method (2): it is more time consuming but it is also more fool-proof. You don’t have to cut fender rivets, pull out the fender liner, or any of that stuff.

Feel free to Google YouTube for videos on how to do it.

Good luck.

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Spoke too soon…lasted 24 hours before going crazy/losing power (and locking the shifter). Back in the shop.

 

[garykk]

I've read on another Jeep forum that some of the symptoms can be caused by a harness located near the front sway bar that chafes and causes intermittent shorts.

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Update - “Faulty” ABS module replaced. I’ll update the thread after I put miles on it

 

[Knee_on_steve]

Update - not the ABS module. Same issue has returned 24 hours later. This is becoming concerning as the dealership seems to have no idea what the problem is.

 

[aldo90731]

Geez.

Yes, CDJR dealers are an incompetent lot for the most part, unfortunately.

 

[aldo90731]

Keep tabs on how many days you’ve lost use of your Jeep, and on the number of failed attempts to fix the vehicle.

In most states, after 30 days in the shop you can start buyback proceedings.

Have you opened a case with Stellantis Customer Care yet? Doing so helps document your interactions with the dealer, and puts the dealer on notice.