Photo: Florin Profir
Both the Wrangler and Gladiator are no strangers to recalls. The latest campaign announced by Jeep concerns six-speed manual vehicles from the 2018, 2019, and 2020 model years, totaling 33,237 examples in the United States of America.
So what’s wrong with these body-on-frame weekend warriors? According to the summary of NHTSA campaign number 20V124000, “the clutch pressure plate may overheat and fracture.” In the described scenario, heated debris may crack or fracture the transmission, leading to a loss of propulsion as well as a fire.
Prior to failure, Jeep says that the driver can identify a worn-out clutch in two ways. Abnormal pedal travel is one of them, and burnt odor is the other. At the time of writing, Jeep doesn’t have a fix for the 33k units of the Wrangler and Gladiator.
The remedy may be under development as we speak, but Jeep intends to start the recall on April 22nd. Until then, customers are recommended to contact FCA at 1-800-853-1403 or inquire about this problem at the nearest dealership showroom.
Schaeffler Group USA Inc. is the supplier of the clutch pressure plate. Based on the chronology listed on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has opened an investigation into the matter in November 2019 following an undisclosed number of “customer inputs for fire incidents.”
December 2019 is when FCA studied the transmission and clutch assembly process at the Toledo plant in Ohio, and seven days later, the automaker conducted “a scene examination of a vehicle fire that appeared to be related to the transmission.” Fast-forward to February 2020, and that’s when the Materials Engineering Lab determined that the 1,100-degree Celsius clutch pressure plate is “a competent ignition source.”
On that note, how many incidents are known so far?
Fiat Chrysler's U.S. division is aware of 13 CAIRS, 13 field reports, and 35 warranty claims related to this problem as of February 20th. One minor injury is also known, and as such, FCA decided on recalling these vehicles.
Prior to failure, Jeep says that the driver can identify a worn-out clutch in two ways. Abnormal pedal travel is one of them, and burnt odor is the other. At the time of writing, Jeep doesn’t have a fix for the 33k units of the Wrangler and Gladiator.
The remedy may be under development as we speak, but Jeep intends to start the recall on April 22nd. Until then, customers are recommended to contact FCA at 1-800-853-1403 or inquire about this problem at the nearest dealership showroom.
Schaeffler Group USA Inc. is the supplier of the clutch pressure plate. Based on the chronology listed on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has opened an investigation into the matter in November 2019 following an undisclosed number of “customer inputs for fire incidents.”
December 2019 is when FCA studied the transmission and clutch assembly process at the Toledo plant in Ohio, and seven days later, the automaker conducted “a scene examination of a vehicle fire that appeared to be related to the transmission.” Fast-forward to February 2020, and that’s when the Materials Engineering Lab determined that the 1,100-degree Celsius clutch pressure plate is “a competent ignition source.”
On that note, how many incidents are known so far?
Fiat Chrysler's U.S. division is aware of 13 CAIRS, 13 field reports, and 35 warranty claims related to this problem as of February 20th. One minor injury is also known, and as such, FCA decided on recalling these vehicles.
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