The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been recalled to the tune of 338,238 vehicles produced for the 2021 through 2023 model years in both two- and three-row specifications. FCA US LLC determined that said vehicles may have been produced with potentially damaged upper control arm pinch bolts.
No fewer than 249,752 units of the Grand Cherokee L are recalled, along with 88,486 units of the Grand Cherokee. Production dates range from December 3, 2020 to May 30, 2023 for the Grand Cherokee L. The Grand Cherokee's affected population ranges between December 19, 2021 and May 30 last year.
The suspect pinch bolt features a Torx head. FCA US LLC lists MNP Corporation as the supplier, and the part number for said pinch bolt is 06512994AA. The Auburn Hills-based automaker became aware of Grand Cherokee vehicles with damaged pinch bolts in June 2023, prompting the Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance organization to investigate.
Prior to Chrysler filing recall number 24V-132 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company was aware of 18 warranty claims, a customer assistance record, and a field report potentially related to the condition. The dates of receipt for these incidents range from March 2, 2022 to October 18, 2023. FCA US LLC states that the supplier isn't to blame for this recall.
Rather, the document attached below clearly states that it's "a vehicle assembly issue." This, in turn, means that remedy bolts do not differ in design from the original bolts. Chrysler updated the upper control arm torque strategy at the vehicle assembly plant on May 30 last year, which is a rather interesting detail. The question is, why didn't FCA US LLC identify the safety risk potential sooner?
Photo: Stellantis
If the pinch bolt gives up the ghost, the upper control arm will separate from the steering knuckle due to the loss of clamp load between the upper control arm's ball joint and the steering knuckle. In this case, the affected wheel would fall outward, greatly increasing the risk of a crash due to the loss of steering control. The rogue wheel is also a road hazard for other traffic participants.
Still named FCA US LLC after the merger with Groupe PSA to create Stellantis, the American company will notify dealers nationwide on April 12, 2024. That's also when Grand Cherokee L and Grand Cherokee owners can expect to receive their notifications via first-class mail. Owners can easily determine whether the vehicle is recalled or not by running the VIN on the automaker's recall portal.
The fifth-gen Jeep Grand Cherokee was last updated in August 2023 for the 2024 model year, with said update comprising 18-inch aluminum wheels for the Limited trim level. There's no HEMI V8 to speak of, but rather the good ol' Pentastar V6 and a plug-in hybrid setup built around the Hurricane I4.
Dubbed 4xe, the plug-in hybrid powertrain is exclusive to the two-row Grand Cherokee. Prices kick off at $36,495 for the Pentastar V6 with rear-wheel drive, whereas the all-wheel-drive 4xe is $60,490 at the very least. The most affordable Grand Cherokee L is the rear-drive Laredo, which starts at $42,630 (excluding the freight charge).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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