Jeep Wrangler recall: Faulty weld could lead to crash without warning
Eric D. Lawrence
Problem welds, which could lead to a "crash without prior warning," are prompting Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to recall about 18,000 2018 and 2019 Jeep Wrangler JLs.
No accidents or injuries have been reported, according to a Fiat Chrysler spokesman, who said the defect would be found on 4 percent, or 720, of the vehicles in the recall campaign.
As of Monday afternoon, 19 customer complaints about 2018 and '19 Wranglers specifically referencing the word "weld" were posted at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
The complaints range from worries about whether welds are "structurally sound" to one complaint from a Doral, Florida, customer who said the "steering wheel turned to the right but my vehicle kept going straight" as the customer was driving on an interstate. After hearing a "loud clunk from the front left of the vehicle," that customer guided the vehicle off the interstate "with great difficulty ..."
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An advance notice of the recall dated Oct. 5 and obtained by JL Wrangler Forums warned of the potential danger:
"Some of the above vehicles may have been built with a front track bar bracket weld located off the seam potentially resulting in the bracket separating from the frame. The separation of the front track bar bracket from the frame may cause a reduction in the steering response, which can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning."
FCA said customer mailings about the recall will go out next week.
In response to a request for information, a spokesman for NHTSA noted Monday that the agency does not have anything posted at this time related to the Jeep issue, but he would provide a link should that change.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.