Photo: Jeep
When talking about the Gladiator, you would expect Jeep to have developed and tested the drivetrain long enough and hard enough to withstand anything you’ll throw at it. But as it happens, certain examples of the breed “may have a rear driveshaft that was assembled without grease in the monoblock joint portion.”
Wait, what? After hearing that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Fiat Chrysler is widely criticized for poor reliability and even worse quality control. Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Administration further explain that “the suspect population was determined by reviewing the supplier's driveshaft production records.” Vehicles with the potential issue were built from December 15th of 2018 through June 25th, every single one of them for model year 2020.
So what happens when the velocity joint doesn’t feature any grease? Overheating is the first consequence, and in worst-case scenarios, the part may seize or even fracture the rear driveshaft. A loss of motive power is a big no-no for an off-road vehicle in this day and age, let alone the most expensive mid-size pickup truck on sale for the 2020 model year (prices start at $33,545 excluding destination).
If you were wondering who’s the supplier responsible for this mess-up, Dana Incorporated is to blame. The problem’s chronology starts with four rear driveshafts received by the quality control department in June 2019 from warranty repairs, which FCA sent to Dana for analysis. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg…
“The supplier determined that all four driveshafts were assembled without grease in the monoblock joint due to a grease bypass button that was available at the assembly line station.” In other words, a distracted worker is likely at fault.
As the headline implies, the stop sale order covers unsold and undelivered pickups out of a total population of 3,427 units. The estimated percentage with the issue is five percent according to FCA, which works out at approximately 171 trucks.
The recall is estimated to launch in the third quarter of 2019, and the violation for not completing this recall could result in a civil penalty of up to $21,000 per vehicle. Notifications will start arriving by first-class mail on October 18th according to Fiat Chrysler.
Wait, what? After hearing that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Fiat Chrysler is widely criticized for poor reliability and even worse quality control. Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Administration further explain that “the suspect population was determined by reviewing the supplier's driveshaft production records.” Vehicles with the potential issue were built from December 15th of 2018 through June 25th, every single one of them for model year 2020.
So what happens when the velocity joint doesn’t feature any grease? Overheating is the first consequence, and in worst-case scenarios, the part may seize or even fracture the rear driveshaft. A loss of motive power is a big no-no for an off-road vehicle in this day and age, let alone the most expensive mid-size pickup truck on sale for the 2020 model year (prices start at $33,545 excluding destination).
If you were wondering who’s the supplier responsible for this mess-up, Dana Incorporated is to blame. The problem’s chronology starts with four rear driveshafts received by the quality control department in June 2019 from warranty repairs, which FCA sent to Dana for analysis. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg…
“The supplier determined that all four driveshafts were assembled without grease in the monoblock joint due to a grease bypass button that was available at the assembly line station.” In other words, a distracted worker is likely at fault.
As the headline implies, the stop sale order covers unsold and undelivered pickups out of a total population of 3,427 units. The estimated percentage with the issue is five percent according to FCA, which works out at approximately 171 trucks.
The recall is estimated to launch in the third quarter of 2019, and the violation for not completing this recall could result in a civil penalty of up to $21,000 per vehicle. Notifications will start arriving by first-class mail on October 18th according to Fiat Chrysler.
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