2006 Jeep Wrangler

THREE MONTH OLD JEEP WRANGLER WITH 6 SPEED. AFTER VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING FOR A FEW HOURS, REGARDLESS OF OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE, THE FIRST SEVERAL 1-2 SHIFTS UPON DRIVING IT AGAIN EXHIBIT A LOUD GRINDING SOUND WHICH CAN ALSO BE FELT THROUGH THE SHIFTER. THE TRANSMISSION IS RELUCTANT TO COME OUT OF FIRST GEAR. IT HAS TO BE PULLED OUT OF GEAR INSTEAD OF JUST SLIDING OUT. IT THEN FEELS LIKE IT BOUNCES OFF OF SECOND GEAR, REQUIRING ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE SECOND. WHEN I FIRST GOT THE VEHICLE, IT ACTUALLY FELT LIKE THERE WAS NO FLUID IN THE TRANSMISSION. SHIFTING BECOMES MUCH SMOOTHER, I.E. NORMAL, ONCE IT HAS BEEN RUN FOR A FEW MILES, ALTHOUGH I DO FEEL IT OCCASIONALLY EVEN AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE. DEALER ROAD TESTED THE VEHICLE AND SAYS IT IS "O.K. AT THIS TIME." THIS CONDITION MAY HAVE SOME SAFETY RAMIFICATIONS IN ADDITION TO THE TRANSMISSION LONGEVITY ISSUES. FIRST GEAR IN THIS VEHICLE IS VERY LOW. I ONLY USE IT TO START ROLLING A LITTLE BIT AND THEN QUICKLY TRY TO ENGAGE SECOND. HOWEVER, I AM SO CONSCIOUS OF THE DIFFICULTY OF THIS 1-2 SHIFT THAT I EXECUTE IT VERY SLOWLY, ALL THE WHILE CRINGING AT HE THOUGHT OF THE DAMAGE I AM DOING TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE RPM'S DROP OFF SO MUCH DURING THE TIME OF THIS SHIFT THAT THERE IS LITTLE POWER AVAILABLE ONCE I ACTUALLY ENGAGE SECOND, RESULTING IN LEISURELY ACCELERATION AT BEST. ON TWO OCCASIONS ALREADY, THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME HAVE BLOWN THEIR HORNS AND NEARLY RUN UP MY BACK BECAUSE, I BELIEVE, THEY MUST HAVE THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO STOP INSTEAD OF CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE. IT IS GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE, IF THE ROAD IS LEVEL, I TAKE OFF USING SECOND GEAR INSTEAD OF FIRST UNTIL I HAVE TRAVELED SEVERAL MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION BEGINS TO BEHAVE NORMALLY. I HAVE DRIVEN MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR 20 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED A RECALL WAS ISSUED REGARDING THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HOWEVER, DAIMLER CHRYSLER HAS NOT PROVIDED A RECALL NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE NOR WILL THEY PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE RECALL. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED THE VEHICLE IS HAVING THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECALL BECAUSE THERE IS A LOUD NOISE IN THE LINKAGE WHILE DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH. THE CONTACT HAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE AND HAS NEVER HEARD THE NOISE BEFORE. THE DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN ALERTED WHO EXPLAINED THEY HAVE NO INFORMATION ABOUT RECALL, NHTSA 06V147000 CONCERNING THE POWER TRAIN: CLUTCH ASSEMBLY OR DAIMLER CHRYSLER NO. F22. UPDATED 6/19/2006 - *NM

MODEL: 2006 JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON WITH 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION. AFTER BACKING OUT OF A PARKING STALL AND DURING THE TRANSITION FROM REVERSE TO 1ST GEAR THE CLUTCH PEDAL LOST ITS CONNECTION TO THE CLUTCH MECHANISM. THE PEDAL WAS FREE TO SWING WITH NO RESISTANCE AT ALL. THERE WAS A LOUD "POP" FROM UNDER THE DASH. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP BY BY-PASSING THE CLUTCH INTERLOCK SWITCH AND STARTING THE VEHICLE IN GEAR. THE VEHICLE HAD EXACTLY 74 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE DEALERSHIP REPAIRED THE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. *NM

NEW JEEP WRANGLER WITH 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION GRINDS WHEN OPERATOR UPSHIFTS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEARS, NECESSITATING AN UNUSUALLY SLOW SHIFT AND CONSEQUENT POOR LOW-SPEED ACCELERATION FROM A STOP. CONDITION IS WORSE WHEN VEHICLE IS COLD AND INTERMITTENT WHEN WARM. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR WARRANTY REPAIRS. JEEP REPRESENTATIVES STATE CONDITION IS "NORMAL" FOR THIS VEHICLE. NO REPAIR PERFORMED. *JB

PULLING FROM DRIVEWAY ONTO STREET, SHIFTING FROM FIRST GEAR TO SECOND GEAR (MANUAL 6-SPEED), HEARD A POP FROM UNDER DASH AND CLUTCH PEDAL WENT SLACK TO FLOORBOARD. NO CLUTCH CONTROL AFTERWARD. NO ACCIDENT BUT TREMENDOUS STRESSFUL CONDITION, ABLE TO DRIVE IN LOW GEAR OFF STREET INTO PARKING LOT AND DISENGAGE TRANSMISSION AND BRAKE. CAR TOWED TO DEALER. AWAITING DEALER RESPONSE. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL MECHANISM, DISCOVERED A SMALL PLASTIC CLIP ATTACHING PEDAL TO CLUTCH CYLINDER HAD BROKEN. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DESIGN ISSUE. NO RECALL INFO AVAILABLE AS OF YET. VEHICLE HAS 600 MILES ON IT. *NM

WHEN TRYING TO LEAVE A PARKING LOT FROM A DEAD STOP I DEPRESS THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDALS, STARTED THE ENGINE, AND PLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE. AS SOON AS I LOOKED BACK THE CLUTCH PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE JEEP LEAPT BACKWARDS. APPARENTLY THE "PLASTIC" LINKAGE CONNECTING THE PEDAL TO THE CLUTCH MECHANISM SNAPPED. IT IS NOW BEING REPLACED BUT FROM PREVIOUS REPORTS I BELIEVE THIS WILL BECOME A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION ON THE 2006 JEEP WRANGLER. *JB

THE 2006 SIX SPEED JEEP WRANGLER HAS A VERY DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW. NEW FOR THE 2006 JEEP WRANGLER IS THE SIX SPEED TRANSMISSIONS AND WHAT I HAVE RECENTLY LEARNED THE HARD WAY IS PART OF THE REDESIGN INCLUDES THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. THE CLUTCH ROD COMES OUT OF THE FLOOR BOARD AND ATTACHES TO THE CLUTCH PEDAL WITH A CLIP/ATTACHMENT THAT BOLTS ONTO THE CLUTCH PEDAL. THE PROBLEM HERE IS AS PART OF THEIR NEW DESIGN THE CLIP OR ATTACHMENT PIECE IS MADE OF ??PLASTIC?? AND I FOUND THAT IT CAN BREAK VERY EASILY AND DISABLE YOUR JEEP. I LEARNED THIS FACT THIS LAST WEEKEND AND IF I HAD BEEN ROCK CLIMBING OR IN THE DESERT INSTEAD OF IN TOWN I MIGHT NOT BE HERE LETTING ALL YOU JEEP OWNERS KNOW ABOUT THIS VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. IN ADDITION TO THIS PROBLEM AND BEING 165 MILES FROM HOME I HAD A BIG EYE OPENER ON HOW RUDE, UNCOOPERATIVE, UNCARING AND TOTALLY UNHELPFUL I FOUND CORPORATION TO BE. READ THE DETAILS OF MY PAST WEEKEND AND DAIMLER CHRYSLER SEE HOW DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY THIS PROBLEM CAN BE UNLESS DAIMLER CHRYSLER CORPORATION CORRECTS IT! I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION THAT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A WARRANTED PART IT TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY EXPENSIVE PROBLEM FOR ME AS WELL. *NM