2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 70th Anniversary on 2040-cars

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Chrysler investigating complaints of vehicles with faulty power modules

Chrysler owners are hopping mad after experiencing a series of electrical gremlins in some of the company's vehicles. Issues range from mere annoyances - windows rolling down and radios turning off of their own accord - to serious safety issues, with headlights that randomly shut off at night and cars that stall and refuse to start.
The issues are being blamed on the total integrated power module, which can cost up to $1,000 for customers to replace. This, of course, has led to a hefty batch of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with 240 owners expressing their displeasure so far. Another site, CarComplaints.com, has registered over 300 complaints relating to the 2010 to 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango, alone, according to The New York Times.
Chrysler has acknowledged that it's investigating the complaints and is analyzing the faulty TIPMs, but that isn't quite enough for customers of the affected vehicles. The newspaper has snagged a few of the more harrowing tales with the electrically challenged Chrysler products, culled from the NHTSA complaints.

2014 Jeep Cherokee marketing launches with 'Built Free' commercial

Now that the 2014 Cherokee is finally on its way to dealerships, Jeep is starting its marketing blitz for its new crossover, beginning with this 60-second TV spot, called Built Free, that premieres today. Set to a Bob Dylan recording, the ad spot discusses something we can all relate to - the feeling of being too busy and too cooped up with everyday tasks to really get out there and explore the world. But as Jeep says in the commercial, "You're still here. And you're still you. The horizons haven't gone anywhere."
Autoblog spoke to Kim Adams-House, head of marketing for the Jeep brand, who explained that this Built Free spot is "an anthemic piece" that "sparks the conversation" for the new Cherokee. As you'll notice, none of the new Jeep's features - its off-road systems, nine-speed automatic transmission, etc. - are mentioned in the ad, but Adams-House says that future marketing "will speak to more" of the CUV's highlights. Following this 60-second spot, 30-second commercials will launch that talk about some of the specific product features.
When asked if the Built Free campaign will include any throwbacks to the original Cherokee, Adams-House told Autoblog that while "we love that vehicle," the new spots are intended to carve out "a unique space for Cherokee in our product portfolio and marketplace." On that same note, don't expect any other Jeep vehicles to get the Built Free treatment. Adams-House said that while this ad "does resonate overall with the brand," it is solely intended to promote the new Cherokee.

Jeep still working to improve Cherokee's 9-speed auto

Fiat Chrysler is hoping an upcoming software update will stem the tide of consumer complaints surrounding its nine-speed automatic transmission. Owners of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee have reported a number of problems on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's SaferCar.gov website, since the new model and its troubled gearbox arrived way back in October 2013. The software update is "intended to keep the vehicle performing as intended, and to prevent durability issues from occurring in the future," an FCA spokesperson told Automotive News, and will be available to owners of both the 2014 to 2015 Jeep Cherokee and the 2015 Chrysler 200, which also uses the 9AT. While FCA will be notifying consumers of the update, owners can also request the software reflash if they happen into their dealer before then. Despite the widely documented problems with the transmission, the only complaints on NHTSA's website relate to the 2014 Cherokee – neither the 2015 Jeep nor the 200 have received any complaints. That bodes well as FCA prepares to begin deliveries of the 2015 Jeep Renegade and launch the Fiat 500X, both of which pair the 9AT with the 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder. "We have had to do an inordinate amount of intervention on that transmission, surely beyond what any of us had forecast," FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne told Automotive News. "There are things that we have done – that we continue to do. Our proactive customer care intervention has actually increased in intensity on these vehicles in 2014, especially in the second half." What's fascinating about the 9AT's problems are that they haven't been the fault of manufacturer ZF, but have related to software that wasn't "mature" and had "teething problems," Marchionne has said previously, AN reports. With the lack of criticism for the 9AT in 2015 models and this pending software update, though, here's hoping that FCA has finally figured out its fuel-sipping gearbox. Related Video: