Dawnfine

Hello-new to this forum.
My husband and I live and travel full time in a motorhome and the past 14 years have towed a 2000 Ford Explorer flat towed.
We didn't have much choice for flat towing without restrictions and decided on the 2015 Trailhawk.
Now I am reading about all the issues with the 9 speed transmission.
Rvers are having problems flat towing with shaking etc.

Am I to be concerned?
Worried

metalwonzero

you forgot the vehicle can be hacked and operated remotely by hackers...
the transmission thing aint so bad compared to that...

Dawnfine

According to Jeep..they have fixed that issue with a new software download. Also this should not happen if you don't buy the wifi hotspot.

Watchful

Hi Dawn. Ignore Metal: he insists on injecting himself into every thread lately, even if he has nothing to say about it. It's way past annoying.

The transmission problems are all from the early 2014 models. I have a 2014 which I purchased after the initially reported issues and, like most of us who did, have had no issues at all. If you have a transmission problem, you'd know it already: the system software begins adapting to your driving style almost immediately, and in a few days, is ready to do your bidding.

If you haven't had problems by now, you won't.

Regarding the towing/trailer shaking issue, this might help:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f87/ex...orhome-208252/

Dawnfine

Thanks Watchful.
Haven't picked up the car yet and we were having regrets after reading about transmission issues and power lift gate issues.
Hopefully these have all been resolved along with the software to prevent remote hacking into the car.
Thanks for the link on the swaying issues when pulled behind a motorhome.
We are also looking into the best auxiliary braking system and would appreciate any advice. Thanks

metalwonzero

when i feel like posting a comment, and or complaint about a KL i do.. however i dont usually attack other folks online. for posting concerns about the vehicles they pay for..
if you wanna take jabs at me . I live in Mt City Tennessee come see me.. we will put the gloves on.. you have not really contributed much information on a KL good or bad watchful... only parroting what you have read.. i actually am putting this thing through the wringer. on and off road.
and so your little knight in shining armor thing may work on facebook but not on a jeep forum..
Jeep up or get out..

metalwonzero

according to me, an expert in encryption all they did was patch it.. and a hacker who is ocd about hacking for the glory of hacking.. will break that encryption if its not already broken. you can take that to the bank..

as far as your transmission goes and liftgate.. it usually takes around 2000 miles for the transmission to start breaking in and shifting according to your driving habits, its better to not drive it like a granny mobile from the start as it is a sports utility vehicle (crossover)..
example.. i drive kind of aggressive on acceleration , when i accelerate slow, it shifts really hard like its anticipating more throttle, which causes it to shift hard.... when i put my foot down.. it shifts smooth.. cant even tell it shifts..
i have had my transmission reflashed a couple of times and it does work like that..
so dont be scared to drive this vehicle dont baby it much in the first month and youll be ok..
the liftgate? i have had no issues with.. other than if you leave it open too long you have to manually close it.. which kinda makes no sense.. considering it has a button that should close or open it when pushed.. it takes about 5-10 minutes being open before it becomes inoperable. i have never timed it. that also is annoying and that is a software issue and how it was programmed to act. call it a flaw in programming if you like..


as far as performance goes, on road and off road, its awesome.. handles like a car on the road, and goes like a little rubicon off..

harpdawg

Hi Dawnfine, I bought my 2015 Trailhawk in May. Zero issues with anything. Transmission has had no problems. I've done some light offroading: low range works fine, locking rear works fine, hill descent setting all good. Its my daily commuter so its got ~5500 miles on it. I don't have the power liftgate so can't help you there & I have never towed it.

RFtech53

Hey Dawnfine,

I bought my 2015 Trailhawk about 2000 miles ago, and I'm loving it. Like you, I had read about all the ZF 9 speed tranny issues and of course the recent hacking thing.

As for the tranny, with only Cherokee's and Acura's having problems, you know it's software and not a mechanical issue with the tranny. And I think Jeep has taken care of that now. The tranny is currently used in 9 models of cars, and will soon be in other's like Ford's. ZF makes quality transmissions.

I trusted the dealer who I've been with for 30+ years. And they've had zero issues with the Cherokee's they've sold. I listened to them and I'm very happy I did. I love this car. The one small issue I had under warranty so far (a paint blemish) was taken care of without issue.

As for the hacking thing, as one other person stated, if you don't use the WiFi Hotspot in the car, it's not an issue. And with the recent software download, it's no longer an issue.

The hacking thing has been blown way out of proportion by the media, and by at least one other on this forum who seems to complain about every little thing he finds "wrong" with his TH. I remember him saying that he's owned it too long to get any decent trade-in value ... or something to that effect.

Like just because two guys spent two years of their life figuring out how to hack the Uconnect system, TH's aren't worth owning anymore. With that kind of logic, I'm surprised he still owns a computer to type on. Gawd knows how many times those have been hacked in the past 20 years. :-)

I'm glad I bought my TH, and of course I'm hoping there's no issues with anything down the road. But if there are, I'm sure my dealer will take care of it for me. That's what warranties are for.

GCWIMMER

You can add Land Rover Range Rover Evoque to the list of ZF9. My 2014 Limited just keeps getting better. So far I'm glad of my purchase with just a few minor annoyances that have been taken care of by the dealer.

Rich Leavitt

As far as being nervous about any new Cherokee, it is out of our control. I sell Jeeps and own a 2.4 Cherokee Latitude. Purchased it in Dec 14. No problems until about a month ago 8700 miles. Situation occurred after 70mph freeway driving, long gradual hills up and down, seemed to trigger problem. So after taking these hills, info cluster message "service transmission", engine light on. You can keep speed up, but you do lose power and acceleration. Getting off freeway, engine light stays on, and its like a gear clunked back into place. I tell my service dept. Of course they couldn't duplicate the action, so I'm told, I will have to let it happen again, and drive it in while the engine stays on, so they can check the code. What?? So I take the car back, happens a couple more times, they cant find it. Finally, it happened in the morning, and I brought it in, they captured the code, and decide to put dielectric grease around the connections, OK, that worked for 5 days. Now they just put a new transmission control module in. 3 days no problem Will update soon. Love the rig, just tough to feel 100% confident, as an owner and Jeep salesperson.

metalwonzero

right there with ya.. seen that one, also seen the 4 wheel drive message stating the 4x4 was not available... mines AWD... ??? explain that one.. someone else stated that happened to them in sand.. i was in my driveway.. anyway... Chrysler FIAT... needs to make this crap right..