I sent an email to the Jeep dealer yesterday to confirm my Grand Cherokee will be ready for pick up when I get back to Australia in 2 weeks time and he informed me that there was a problem with fitting a genuine towbar as Jeep had put out a recall notice on them. He said that he was unsure of when a new one would become available so he offered to fit a Hayman Reece bar if I don't want to wait which I have opted for, has anyone received this recall notice yet or fitted a HR towbar instead of the original ?
Cheers
BB
Possum3 said
04:04 PM Mar 21, 2018
I would go for the Hayman Reece, At least you will know that you can get a tongue to fit it anywhere in Australia - Son in Law had a genuine Toyota on his Prado which couldn't take the Haman Reece tongue.
Barboots said
04:08 PM Mar 21, 2018
I'd be asking for proof of that claim, because there's no word of it "around the traps".
However there is an inappropriately titled "towbar recall" on earlier models. It entails fitting a towbar to supplement the rear crash protection provided to the fuel tank. It has nothing to do with your vehicle, nor the performance of towbars on any model.
The Belmont Bear said
05:07 PM Mar 21, 2018
Barboots wrote:
I'd be asking for proof of that claim, because there's no word of it "around the traps". However there is an inappropriately titled "towbar recall" on earlier models. It entails fitting a towbar to supplement the rear crash protection provided to the fuel tank. It has nothing to do with your vehicle, nor the performance of towbars on any model.
Barboots, I will do that because after your comment I also checked the internet for this recall and all I can find is what you have said about models up until the end of 2014. Although I will go as Possum suggested with the Hayman Reece towbar I will be asking them to show me the proof of this recall when I pick up the car. If they have misled me I have a copy of the email and I will take it further with Chrysler Jeep as that type of behaviour from one of their dealerships would do nothing to enhance their brand name. If it is legit the recall may still come out but I would have thought that it would have already been issued in the US and I can't find it anywhere.
Cheers
BB
Barboots said
07:21 PM Mar 21, 2018
We have different towbars than the US. Whilst you're correct in that a local recall may be in the works, I'll put ten bucks in the Salvos tin if I'm not right that the dealer is filling you in
Barboots said
07:28 PM Mar 21, 2018
If you have any thoughts of fitting a long range fuel tank, do not get the HR bar without checking first as I believe that most suit the "genuine" tow bar only. Aside from that there is nothing significant either way. Oh... if I recall correctly the HR item protrudes from under the bumper edge, whereas the BestBar is a little higher, located in a notch that has to be cut into the bumper. It's also true that you need to radius the corners of HR accessories to fit into the BestBar receiver. Some may lose their minds over such modifications...
The Belmont Bear said
07:59 PM Mar 21, 2018
Thanks Barboots your points are noted, I also have a HR WDH that I intend to use so hopefully they will compliment each other.
BB
Barboots said
10:59 PM Mar 21, 2018
BB I'm using the old welded style HR trunnion system... it's a good fit for the car/hitch/coupling/van combination and in my case offers the most ground clearance. I had the shank drilled so it can be inserted further therefore reducing the hitch overhang... so clearly I'm going straight to hell :) The cast shanks go in further than mine would have originally, but not as far as it does now. Not that there's much in it... just chatting.
SouthernComfort said
08:55 AM Mar 22, 2018
The Belmont Bear wrote:
I sent an email to the Jeep dealer yesterday to confirm my Grand Cherokee will be ready for pick up when I get back to Australia in 2 weeks time and he informed me that there was a problem with fitting a genuine towbar as Jeep had put out a recall notice on them. He said that he was unsure of when a new one would become available so he offered to fit a Hayman Reece bar if I don't want to wait which I have opted for, has anyone received this recall notice yet or fitted a HR towbar instead of the original ?
Cheers
BB
Welcome to the world of Jeep ownership BB. The GC is a great car, I love mine (diesel) - in every respect it's one of the best (4x4) cars I've driven or towed with. The downside is dealing directly with FCA for anything, should you need to. They're incapable of providing straight answers, solutions or timelines. In my experience the dealers are no better and following a recent debacle over alternators, frankly I can't trust anything they say. FWIW, I have a BTA towbar on mine with matching WDH, it's a popular and very well regarded brand in Vic. I've never seen mention of a recall or TSB on the OEM towbar.
The Belmont Bear said
04:47 PM Mar 22, 2018
Thanks again guys for the feedback I have told the dealer to fit the HR bar which to my surprise actually worked out to be cheaper than the Jeep supplied unit. Tony I'm not worried about fitting the alternative HR tow bar but I will be disappointed if for whatever reason they have given me misleading information about this recall because combined with your comments it won't give me a real lot of confidence in future dealings I may have with them. I will hold back making a call one way or the other until I actually speak to them in person as it still could be legitimate. I also posted this on the Grand Cherokee owners section of the Caravanners Forum to see if anyone else has heard of the recall and so far it's been the same response as on here.
Cheers
BB
The Belmont Bear said
04:58 PM Mar 22, 2018
there is a recall...... apparently overnight ( Thursday 22 March ) there has been a national recall of all 2017 Grand Cheeroke with towbars fitted. We have just had our to our dealer and he has informed us that ALL of this model jeep ( check with your dealer first ) has been recalled nationally. You are to STOP towing wherever you are and Jeep Australia ( ?) will get your van to your destination ????? YOU ARE NOT TO TOW ANYTHING ( so we have been told ). There is some 220 of this model with towbars fitted across OZ for recall. I can just imagine everyone attempting to head North after Easter - wont be going anywhere ???
I just copied this response to my question from the Caravanners Forum GC dedicated owners group the problem is that in every other response on there no one else has heard of it or been notified yet. That may be understandable if only 220 vehicles are affected Jeep may be contacting owners directly - the plot thickens.....
BB
Barboots said
07:27 PM Mar 22, 2018
Any idea what the actual point of concern is mate?
The Belmont Bear said
08:04 PM Mar 22, 2018
Barboots no mention of what the actual fault is (I am not fully convinced that it is legitimate yet) but if they have instructed people to cease towing regardless of where they are then I would imagine it would be something considered to be a reasonably high risk. I'm only second guessing here but if they haven't changed the design or their supplier and it being specific vehicles affected then they may have found an issue with a batch that was manufactured at a certain time. If it is true I'm sure it will become public knowledge fairly quickly.
BB
SouthernComfort said
08:58 AM Mar 23, 2018
The Belmont Bear wrote:
Barboots no mention of what the actual fault is (I am not fully convinced that it is legitimate yet) but if they have instructed people to cease towing regardless of where they are then I would imagine it would be something considered to be a reasonably high risk. I'm only second guessing here but if they haven't changed the design or their supplier and it being specific vehicles affected then they may have found an issue with a batch that was manufactured at a certain time. If it is true I'm sure it will become public knowledge fairly quickly.
BB
Mysterious indeed. Could be a batch of faulty bars, or a batch of bad installations on that model year. Nothing so far on the ACCC recalls website. The info you've been given though is alarming in the extreme!
I've been trying to get some information from Jeep on when a solution is likely, but they company line is that they are still waiting for a solution to be designed. Given the problem is claimed simply to be that the bolts may lose torque, there are a few well tried and tested solutions to this so don't know why it is taking so long. In the meantime, Jeep's only advice is not to tow which I reckon will mean that your insurance will be at risk if you have a problem.
Has anyone else been more successful than me in getting closer to a solution?
Cheers
The Belmont Bear said
12:32 PM Apr 24, 2018
Digger,
As I stated in an earlier post they gave me the option of fiting a Hayman Reece towbar to avoid any delay caused by Jeep coming up with a fix so apparently there was already a workable alternative available. When I picked mine up 2 weeks ago from the dealer he told me that Jeep had found a solution but it wouldn't become available until sometime in May as they had to go through a testing and approval process. I don't know if that's true or not but the original warning he gave me about a possible problem with the towbar (before it was made public) proved to be accurate. I haven't towed with mine yet as I was advised to wait until after the 1000km/1 mth check but so far so good the car is excellent to drive around town and has power to burn without a load. I don't like the lane departure system which feels a bit like it's taking over the steering (I will probably just turn it off). I found the turbo lag which is more pronounced that my previous Pajero Sport made it a little more difficut to line up the towball due to the short delay between pushing the accelerator and the vehicle actually moving. I hope that you get the problem fixed soon it must be extremely frustrating, if it was me I wouldn't tow with it just in case something did go wrong - insurance may be the least of your problems if there was a catastrophic failure.
Cheers
BB
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Tuesday 24th of April 2018 12:33:49 PM
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Tuesday 24th of April 2018 12:35:23 PM
Digger1967 said
10:09 AM Apr 26, 2018
Thanks BB - You've been able to give me more info than my dealer so hopefully a solution is only a month or so away. Unfortunately the warning came out after I had the towbar fitted so I wasn't given the option.
I've also noticed the turbo lag at low speed which may make coupling more interesting - reckon we'll have to keep the left foot over the park brake. I hadn't seen any issues in the reviews so hopefully won't be a problem.
Cheers Digger
The Belmont Bear said
07:36 PM Apr 26, 2018
Digger1967 wrote:
Thanks BB - You've been able to give me more info than my dealer so hopefully a solution is only a month or so away. Unfortunately the warning came out after I had the towbar fitted so I wasn't given the option.
I've also noticed the turbo lag at low speed which may make coupling more interesting - reckon we'll have to keep the left foot over the park brake. I hadn't seen any issues in the reviews so hopefully won't be a problem.
Cheers Digger
Don't worry Digger once you get used to it it's not a problem, just cuaght me a little unawares after the Pajero Sport which wasn't as noticeable.
BB
Hunter Tyabb said
08:00 AM May 4, 2018
Hi all
they gave me the option of fitting a Hayman bar but then told me it was 50mm lower than the jeep bar and wouldn't do anything about the cut out in the rear bumper bar
I'm still waiting for a fix very disappointed in there warranty department as every time i talk to them they give me different answer
rockylizard said
09:57 AM May 4, 2018
Digger1967 wrote:
SNIP~~~ I've also noticed the turbo lag at low speed which may make coupling more interesting - reckon we'll have to keep the left foot over the park brake. I hadn't seen any issues in the reviews so hopefully won't be a problem.
Cheers Digger
Gday...
Are you able to use low-range when reversing the van onto a site?
If there are no 'vehicle limitations' - eg only a 'part-time' 4x4 - then I would suggest using low-range.
With low-range engaged and if it is an auto, you can let it idle back into the site and only need to use the brake to 'steady' the progress.
Cheers - John
The Belmont Bear said
05:58 AM May 7, 2018
It seems that the towbar saga continues, this is a copy of some feedback I borrowed from the jeep owners section in the caravanners forum where this issue is currently being discussed. Glad I was given the heads up by the dealer before the recall and took the option to fit the HR bar because this is turning into a real mess and I feel sorry for those people who are being affected.
I am amazed (or is it appalled?) by the sheer arrogance of Jeep in relation to this matter.
After registering a complaint at the lack of communication, I received a terse phone call from some barely-interested minion telling me that the car I purchased was, in fact, fit for purpose.
With the greatest of respect, it's NOT. I bought the car with the towbar specifically to tow the trailer, boat, etc. I've been unable to do so for the past 3 months and there has been ZERO communication from Jeep as to what they're doing about it. On this basis, it's clear that they couldn't care less.
(Oh, and in the meantime, I've continued to receive their rubbish marketing material suggesting that I trade in an upgrade to a new Jeep...). Are you fricking serious???
As a customer (obviously not a valued one, or else why would they be treating me like this), I'm completely unimpressed. Their care factor ends as soon as you drive out the door.
Don't hold back???? Your rubbish car and non-existent service is holding me back!
The Belmont Bear said
02:41 PM Jun 16, 2018
Hi GMD1510 welcome to the forum. Although I can fully understand your frustration using your first post to air your grievances about Jeep rather than introducing yourself is a bit of a waste. What are you expecting the people on GN to do about it other than offer you their moral support. In my opinion if it's information you are after you would be a lot better off going onto the Grand Cherokee owners section of the Caravanners Forum where there are similarly affected people already discussing this issue - you may even get some useful info from them about the fix. As I said in my OP luckily the dealership gave me a heads up and I was able to avoid the situation by fitting a HR bar instead of the Jeep version.
I sent an email to the Jeep dealer yesterday to confirm my Grand Cherokee will be ready for pick up when I get back to Australia in 2 weeks time and he informed me that there was a problem with fitting a genuine towbar as Jeep had put out a recall notice on them. He said that he was unsure of when a new one would become available so he offered to fit a Hayman Reece bar if I don't want to wait which I have opted for, has anyone received this recall notice yet or fitted a HR towbar instead of the original ?
Cheers
BB
Barboots, I will do that because after your comment I also checked the internet for this recall and all I can find is what you have said about models up until the end of 2014. Although I will go as Possum suggested with the Hayman Reece towbar I will be asking them to show me the proof of this recall when I pick up the car. If they have misled me I have a copy of the email and I will take it further with Chrysler Jeep as that type of behaviour from one of their dealerships would do nothing to enhance their brand name. If it is legit the recall may still come out but I would have thought that it would have already been issued in the US and I can't find it anywhere.
Cheers
BB
Thanks Barboots your points are noted, I also have a HR WDH that I intend to use so hopefully they will compliment each other.
BB
Welcome to the world of Jeep ownership BB. The GC is a great car, I love mine (diesel) - in every respect it's one of the best (4x4) cars I've driven or towed with. The downside is dealing directly with FCA for anything, should you need to. They're incapable of providing straight answers, solutions or timelines. In my experience the dealers are no better and following a recent debacle over alternators, frankly I can't trust anything they say. FWIW, I have a BTA towbar on mine with matching WDH, it's a popular and very well regarded brand in Vic. I've never seen mention of a recall or TSB on the OEM towbar.
Cheers
BB
there is a recall...... apparently overnight ( Thursday 22 March ) there has been a national recall of all 2017 Grand Cheeroke with towbars fitted. We have just had our to our dealer and he has informed us that ALL of this model jeep ( check with your dealer first ) has been recalled nationally. You are to STOP towing wherever you are and Jeep Australia ( ?) will get your van to your destination ????? YOU ARE NOT TO TOW ANYTHING ( so we have been told ). There is some 220 of this model with towbars fitted across OZ for recall. I can just imagine everyone attempting to head North after Easter - wont be going anywhere ???
I just copied this response to my question from the Caravanners Forum GC dedicated owners group the problem is that in every other response on there no one else has heard of it or been notified yet. That may be understandable if only 220 vehicles are affected Jeep may be contacting owners directly - the plot thickens.....
BB
Barboots no mention of what the actual fault is (I am not fully convinced that it is legitimate yet) but if they have instructed people to cease towing regardless of where they are then I would imagine it would be something considered to be a reasonably high risk. I'm only second guessing here but if they haven't changed the design or their supplier and it being specific vehicles affected then they may have found an issue with a batch that was manufactured at a certain time. If it is true I'm sure it will become public knowledge fairly quickly.
BB
Mysterious indeed. Could be a batch of faulty bars, or a batch of bad installations on that model year. Nothing so far on the ACCC recalls website. The info you've been given though is alarming in the extreme!
https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recalls/browse-all-recalls?search=jeep+grand+cherokee&sort_by=accc_solr_date&items_per_page=25
Has anyone else been more successful than me in getting closer to a solution?
Cheers
Digger,
As I stated in an earlier post they gave me the option of fiting a Hayman Reece towbar to avoid any delay caused by Jeep coming up with a fix so apparently there was already a workable alternative available. When I picked mine up 2 weeks ago from the dealer he told me that Jeep had found a solution but it wouldn't become available until sometime in May as they had to go through a testing and approval process. I don't know if that's true or not but the original warning he gave me about a possible problem with the towbar (before it was made public) proved to be accurate. I haven't towed with mine yet as I was advised to wait until after the 1000km/1 mth check but so far so good the car is excellent to drive around town and has power to burn without a load. I don't like the lane departure system which feels a bit like it's taking over the steering (I will probably just turn it off). I found the turbo lag which is more pronounced that my previous Pajero Sport made it a little more difficut to line up the towball due to the short delay between pushing the accelerator and the vehicle actually moving. I hope that you get the problem fixed soon it must be extremely frustrating, if it was me I wouldn't tow with it just in case something did go wrong - insurance may be the least of your problems if there was a catastrophic failure.
Cheers
BB
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Tuesday 24th of April 2018 12:33:49 PM
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Tuesday 24th of April 2018 12:35:23 PM
I've also noticed the turbo lag at low speed which may make coupling more interesting - reckon we'll have to keep the left foot over the park brake. I hadn't seen any issues in the reviews so hopefully won't be a problem.
Cheers Digger
Don't worry Digger once you get used to it it's not a problem, just cuaght me a little unawares after the Pajero Sport which wasn't as noticeable.
BB
they gave me the option of fitting a Hayman bar but then told me it was 50mm lower than the jeep bar and wouldn't do anything about the cut out in the rear bumper bar
I'm still waiting for a fix very disappointed in there warranty department as every time i talk to them they give me different answer
Gday...
Are you able to use low-range when reversing the van onto a site?
If there are no 'vehicle limitations' - eg only a 'part-time' 4x4 - then I would suggest using low-range.
With low-range engaged and if it is an auto, you can let it idle back into the site and only need to use the brake to 'steady' the progress.
Cheers - John
It seems that the towbar saga continues, this is a copy of some feedback I borrowed from the jeep owners section in the caravanners forum where this issue is currently being discussed. Glad I was given the heads up by the dealer before the recall and took the option to fit the HR bar because this is turning into a real mess and I feel sorry for those people who are being affected.
Cheers
BB
After registering a complaint at the lack of communication, I received a terse phone call from some barely-interested minion telling me that the car I purchased was, in fact, fit for purpose.
With the greatest of respect, it's NOT. I bought the car with the towbar specifically to tow the trailer, boat, etc. I've been unable to do so for the past 3 months and there has been ZERO communication from Jeep as to what they're doing about it. On this basis, it's clear that they couldn't care less.
(Oh, and in the meantime, I've continued to receive their rubbish marketing material suggesting that I trade in an upgrade to a new Jeep...). Are you fricking serious???
As a customer (obviously not a valued one, or else why would they be treating me like this), I'm completely unimpressed. Their care factor ends as soon as you drive out the door.
Don't hold back???? Your rubbish car and non-existent service is holding me back!
Hi GMD1510 welcome to the forum. Although I can fully understand your frustration using your first post to air your grievances about Jeep rather than introducing yourself is a bit of a waste. What are you expecting the people on GN to do about it other than offer you their moral support. In my opinion if it's information you are after you would be a lot better off going onto the Grand Cherokee owners section of the Caravanners Forum where there are similarly affected people already discussing this issue - you may even get some useful info from them about the fix. As I said in my OP luckily the dealership gave me a heads up and I was able to avoid the situation by fitting a HR bar instead of the Jeep version.
Cheers
BB