New Jeep Cherokee recalled before it goes on sale

Jeep Australia has issued a product safety recall for the updated 2019 Jeep Cherokee SUV weeks before it officially goes on sale on October 1 — and on the same day it launched the vehicle to the Australian motoring media this week.

This is the latest in a long series of recalls for Jeep, which has suffered significant reputational damage and a sales slump because of poor reliability.

In August alone it issued four product safety recalls covering four models, including the WK2 Grand Cherokee, which has now reached 21 recalls in Australia since its 2011 launch.

Last week Jeep Australia recalled the outgoing 2018 Jeep Cherokee to fix a fault with the halfshaft assembly resulting in loss of power or the inability to park the vehicle.

A separate recall concerning the 2017-2018 Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Compass and Wrangler relates to potential powertain control module (PCM) failure, which could see vehicles fail to start, stall after starting or stall while driving.

In both cases Jeep will notify owners when parts become available by the end of 2018. A second recall for the Jeep Compass last week concerns another PCM problem, this time affecting the cruise control, which could cause "vehicle speed to lock or unexpected vehicle acceleration".

This week's recall of the 2019 KL Cherokee, which is built in Ohio in the USA, covers 179 vehicles and is to rectify rear brake callipers that may have incorrect coating on the pistons, which may cause gas pockets to form in the brake system.

“Gas pockets in the brake system may result in a reduction in rear brake performance, which could cause a vehicle crash without prior warning,” the recall notice states.

Jeep sales have slumped from a high of 30,408 in 2014 to just 8270 in 2017. They have dipped slightly again in 2018.

There have been various high-profile incidences of customer dissatisfaction with the response of Jeep’s parent company Fiat Chrysler Australia and its dealer body to the issues.

One Grand Cherokee owner generated national media coverage when he publicly destroyed his car. Another wrote a rap, “I made a mistake I bought a Lemon Jeep” that has had more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.

Yesterday, FCA Australia boss Steve Zanlunghi and Jeep local head Guillaume Drelon mounted a stout defence of the brand and its recall history … without mentioning another one was imminent.

“Obviously recalls are not ideal but at the same time customer safety is our focus, so if there is a doubt we recall the vehicle,” Zanlunghi said.

Added Drelon: “I think it’s a key focus making sure that in any circumstances our vehicle would be safe.

“Some of the recalls would just be updates. It’s called a recall but it’s like what you would do on your phone — you are updating your apps every day.

“There are obviously things linked to product safety and we cannot joke with that and that needs to be done.

“It’s not only Jeep; all the OEMs (vehicle brands) are the same way. If it is something serious we need to take care of it. But some of those recalls can be just updates and that’s happening all the time.”

Zanlunghi reinforced that: “One recall was for a label on a strap, another last week was for two units – which we take seriously.

“There are people out there that just keep count of the overall number [of recalls], but if you look at the overall number of units recalled it’s a little different.”

FCA has addressed the concerns about Jeep reliability by introducing a five-year warranty, lifetime roadside assist and capped-price servicing in Australia. There have also been strategies put in place to improve customer service locally and vehicle assembly quality at the factory source.

Zanlunghi insisted FCA’s efforts were improving Jeep’s reputation in Australia.

“The consideration research we have is growing pretty significantly,” he said. “It has almost doubled year-on-year. Right now we are looking at just over two per cent consideration whereas we were at one per cent.

“If you can take two per cent of the entire Australian market that’s pretty good.”

Jeep Australia has advised that the vast majority of the new Cherokees affected by the latest recall have not yet been released from its stock and that all vehicles will be fixed before they are delivered to customers.

It also confirmed it did not have control over the timing of the recall announcement because that is dictated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The fix to the rear brakes involves a fluid flush that takes about 30 minutes.

Watch out for full details of the updated Cherokee and drive impressions this Friday morning (August 31).