badazzcherokee

I bought a 2000 Grand Cherokee WJ. It was a repo vehicle and the hitch was missing. So a bought a hitch off CL and am in the process of bolting it on. The front two and middle two bolt holes in the Cherokee have threaded inserts for the bolts but the rear two don't. I see no way of getting a nut on these two rear bolts. Am I missing something or is there a way of doing it. Ant input would be great. Thanks.

Bustedback

There may be a recall for the WJ that would install a brand new Mopar hitch for free.

Bustedback

After some research, I don't think the WJ has the same recall as the ZJ.

dave1123

Yes it does, however you have to have a recall notice with your VIN number on it to get it done. The only trailer hitch that satisfies Mopar for collision protection is a thru-the-bumper hitch. They cut a slice out of the plastic and install a bezel over it. Mine has a U-Haul aftermarket hitch and they tell me it's too low to be much use in a collision. I only use mine as a rear recovery point anyway and have a D-ring shackle insert in it.

There is a long story about mine that's only going to get me started getting pissed off, but the long and short of it is there's only 5 bolts holding mine on now, but I don't plan on towing anything with it.

The WJ didn't come with a hitch unless you have the tow package, which includes an aux trans cooler and a lighting package with 3.73 axle ratio.

SatiricalHen

so why don't you go and get a new one put in for free?

dave1123

THAT'S the bad part of the story. The dealership broke a bolt taking my U-Haul hitch off, then tried to tell me U-Haul broke it when installing theirs. NOT TRUE, because I looked at the U-HAUL installation after they did it, and there were 6 new bolts holding it on. E-mails to Chrysler Customer Service Center were useless. They sided with the dealership. Enough said!

They couldn't install a Mopar hitch until I had the frame repaired! AT MY EXPENSE!!!

SatiricalHen

that's bs. If it's their recall they need to put a hitch on no matter what it takes. Not your fault they screwed up the design.

dave1123

The recall notice stated that if the frame was not strong enough because of rust or collision damage, in order for them to install a hitch, it had to be repaired at my expense. They are not required to install a hitch by the NTSB, only OFFER to install one as a collision safety measure. The Mopar hitch costs them around $600 including parts and labor per vehicle. They will do ANYTHING to get out of actually doing one! Understand this recall covers about 20 million vehicles, not all of which are still on the road.

Research it if you like. This recall is to satisfy the NTSB's study of the rear crash worthiness of jeep's fuel tanks. Remember the Ford Pinto? This is an attempt to make jeeps withstand a rear end crash without rupturing the fuel tank.

jon-d

this is exactly why i HATE taking anything to the dealer. i recently took my Chevy diesel in for a recall (reluctantly) and sure enough, they screwed something else up that i had to repair. when i called them back about the problem they mainly complained back to me that the manufacture does not pay them enough for the recall like that is an excuse for crap work.

although i used my Chevy as an example, i have seen it with other brands and also at motorcycle shops (a sport i was heavily into). just remember, no one will care more about your ride than you.

Fred/N0AZZ

Dave I'm waiting to take mine in for the recalls hitch and air bags. What are they doing if you have the factory Class IV installed hitch and towing pkg on them, do you know? The reason I ask is because I have wiring and coax ran into and alongside my hitch for a ham radio antenna a screwdriver that is powered (moves up and down a very long loading coil 36" long 2" in dia. with a 48" whip on top)and covers 10-160m don't want them screwing with it period. I will remove the antenna mounted on the receiver as they cost over a $1K.

Bustedback

You can blame flat rate for that.

dave1123

Fred, I would assume they will inspect it and tell you you're good to go. I was told this is NOT a mandatory installation anyway. If it checks out, you get a certificate to send to Chrysler for a $100 prepaid Visa card. At least that was the deal when this whole thing started. The Visa card was an incentive to get you to bring it in. The dealer sends your paperwork in to Chrysler to get reimbursed for his labor costs. Can you imagine what this is costing Fiat? They are probably wondering if buying Chrysler was such a good idea in the long run.

When I heard about this recall, I went to my local dealer to see if my jeep was "on the list." They told me it wasn't, so I went and had U-Haul install one. Two weeks later, I get "the letter" in the mail. This was July, 2015. I went back to the dealer, hot under the collar, only to have them tell me they didn't have the parts yet and they'd call me when they did. Right. In the middle of September, I called them. "We just got them in. Do you want to set up an appointment?"

That's when the fun started. They broke one bolt taking it out and ripped out a "weld-nut" on another. They put a studded plate into the frame to fix the ripped one, then told me U-Haul did it. I asked them if they could at least drill out and rethread the broken one and was told yes, but I'd have to pay for it. I was livid by now and told them to put it back on and I went to U-Haul! The store manager was stunned. He's never seen that plate fix before and said he didn't even know where to get one. He also said it never would have left his shop unless it had all 6 bolts in it. I believe him because I looked at it when I got it home from him the first time and all 6 were there and shiny new ones. He said he put new Grade 8's in, at HIS expense, because he wasn't comfortable with the condition of the originals if I was going to tow something. He took pictures of Chrysler's screw-up and printed them out for me. I sent all this stuff to Chrysler Customer Service Center and had them just stand behind the dealer!

I drilled out the broken one myself, but it's 3/8, not 1/2 now. I just wanted a rear recovery point in case I had to get towed out of a ditch or something.

One thing. The clearance behind the Mopar hitch to the fuel tank shield is about 4" and the U-Haul one is only 1-3/4".

badazzcherokee

Dang I guess I really started something with this question. Just to clarify my Jeep had the tow package with the factory hitch, factory wiring harness and the cut out bumper. The hitch was removed by the previous owner before it was repoed from him. I replaced it with another factory hitch, not an aftermarket hitch. The thing that gets me is that there are no threaded nuts welded in the rear two holes in the frame like there are in the middle and front holes. Is this the factory eff up that the recall is supposed to fix? I so confused.

dave1123

IDK what to tell you. mine has 6 bolts (well,actually 5-1/2)in it, but there are 2 holes beyond the rear 2 that I think are water drain holes. They are a lot larger than the bolt holes. U-Haul tells me the hitch has an 8000 lbs draw limit, but that's for the hitch itself, not the attachment points.

Why not mount it with the 4, then take it to the dealer and let them LOOK at it. They can at least tell you what to do about it.

My long posts were for everyone's benefit. Not just yours.

Fred/N0AZZ

Dave thanks for your reply, I guess next week mine will go in to the dealer for that and air bags.