Five problems related to wiring have been reported for the 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Issues started with vehicle not able to start and inability to shift out of park. Battery would test good. After disconnecting battery, vehicle would start as usually. Issue began to escalate with oil light and esp light randomly lighting up on the dash. Finally, electronic throttle control and esp light would come on while driving and accelerator was unresponsive while driving on highway. I have replaced the throttle body and the entire wiring harness with no resolution. I am now replacing the computer in hopes that it will resolve the issues. I have had the Jeep in for auto service 5 times since January.
This complaint refers to the existing air bag clockspring wiring failure being investigated under ea 15-007 and previously pe 15-025. It is also closely related to safety recall 11v258 which involves the same part failure. Like other owners of my 2007-2012 Jeep Wranglers the clockspring unit in my vehicle has indicated it has failed with the abs error code b1b02 - "driver airbag squib 1 circuit open". The issue happened suddenly and has persisted. The vehicle has just over 55,000 miles and during my ownership it has not been submitted to extraneous environmental factors. Jeep customer care was notified of my issue (case # 29226734) but did not provide or offer remedy.
In may 2014 I purchases a used Jeep from a dealer in kernersville, nc and experienced issues with the vehicle the dealership claims are manufacture issues: -lighting: we have had to replace the taillight bulbs on both sides twice since purchase (less than a year ago). These lights constantly hold water and we have to empty them repeatedly and the water never seems to empty completely. These lights also seem to be affected by wiring as they do not always illuminate despite an effective bulb. We took it in for repairs under our purchased warranty and the dealership states there is water damage due to insufficient wire protection. This is very concerning as water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Regardless of the used condition of the car I see no reason why this should be the case as wiring seems very much like a manufacture only responsibility. -wheels: the vehicle was purchased with all original wheels (not tires) and the valve stems on each wheel have disintegrated completely and crumbled apart. We realized this when the low air light came on and we went to fill the tires this issue seems to effect how well the tires can hold air. -speedometer: originally when we purchased the vehicle the speedometer was off by about 10mph (we did not know this until driving two separate cars and thinking "hmm is the other driver really speeding that much?" call one another on the phone and determined the Subaru would drive 60mph and see what speed the Jeep claimed to be driving when matched. We had this issue "fixed" about two weeks ago and now it is even worse. Upon doing the same speed test the Jeep was now 12mph over what it should be. Other issues non-resolved by dealership: rattling sound near clutch, less than awesome braking, and a tire light that will not go off no matter what actions are taken.
On the 2008 Jeep Wrangler dashboard, the airbag warning light flashes on every other minute with a chime, an indication that there is something malfunctioning or interfering with the vehicle's airbags. This has been a recurring issue and concern for many 2008 Jeep Wrangler owners, including myself, and has been shown time and time again to be caused by a faulty clockspring within the vehicle's steering wheel. This faulty clockspring is the culprit for potential airbag failure in the 2008 Jeep Wrangler during an accident or premature deployment when simply driving around. Daimler Chrysler has refused to address the safety concern of their faulty clockspring that can cause failure of the vehicle's airbags from properly deploying. Also on a different issue, on certain occasions I go to start my vehicle and I will hear a click and the vehicle will refuse to turnover, it is a random occurrence that is a huge inconvenience. Sometimes my Jeep will start after 5 or 6 tries, other times it can take a half hour for it to finally start up. I have tried changing the battery to no avail and am hesitant to hire someone to go through all of the wiring harness.
Dodge dealership has inspected my Jeep for an airbag warning light illuminated. I have an extended warranty from millennium and the will not cover the repair. The problem has been diagnosed as a faulty clock spring. This is a lhd vehicle. The recall id 94030 is for the rhd Jeep. If left hand drive Jeeps are having the same problems, how can this just be on the right hand drive only? recall id # 94030 - air bags:frontal component air bags:frontal model affected Wrangler potential units affected 5437 recall date: Nov 02, 2011 model affected: 2008 Jeep Wrangler summary: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 right hand drive (rhd) Jeep Wrangler vehicles manufactured from February 1, 2007, through October 10, 2011. Some vehicles may be equipped with driver's airbag clockspring assemblies that could experience a compromised airbag circuit resulting in an airbag lamp illumination, which indicates that the airbag may not deploy. Consequences: a broken electrical circuit in the airbag clockspring wiring assembly can lead to non-deployment of the driver frontal airbag and will not be able to properly protect the driver in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injuries. Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners and remedy the vehicles as necessary free of charge. Chrysler will mail to owners an interim notification during March 2012. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. Potential units affected: 5437.