PSA: Major safety recall ‘18/19 Jeep Wrangler JL track bar/frame faulty welds

Okay guys this recall is a no joke! The welds for the track bar are incredibly bad and dangerous FCA screwed the pooch big time, check those welds if you have a 4 door wrangler.

Jalopnik Article


JL forum link
Failed trackbar weld:
Link 1
Link 2


Stay safe people.

a reply to: BigDave-AR

Is it only the 4 door Unlimited versions, or does this apply to the new 2 door versions also?

I have a buddy who just bought a 2 door Jeep.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: BigDave-AR

Is it only the 4 door Unlimited versions, or does this apply to the new 2 door versions also?

I have a buddy who just bought a 2 door Jeep.

As far as I’m seeing it just effects the hideous 4 door wranglers, still wouldn’t hurt to put eyeballs on the weld I know I’d rather not risk it I have two family members who have the 4 doors that I sent the info to. Gotta love the “craftsmanship” and pride in their work. Those welds are atrocious!

ETA- Actually now that I’m looking better I think it’s both the 2 doors and 4 doors have your buddy head over to the NHTSA and throw in their vin to make sure.
www.nhtsa.gov...

a reply to: BigDave-AR

Looks like the weld missed completely.
Wonder if it was done robotically and if it was programmed wrong.

originally posted by: Tarzan the apeman.
a reply to: BigDave-AR

Looks like the weld missed completely.
Wonder if it was done robotically and if it was programmed wrong.

Good god I didn’t even see that one, that is insanely bad, way to to go FCA you continue to impress with your fails. That doesn’t even look like a robo weld seeing as it’s not even straight! The fact this made it off the assembly line is truly scary and unacceptable.

ETA the more I look at that the more PO’es I get that bracket should be welded on all sides to be proper and mind this isn’t some inconsequential trivial mistake, this a major structural area and a major safety concern.


ETA #2: Good god look at the welds around that round cross member huge holes in the weld.👌🤦🏻‍♂️😣

a reply to: BigDave-AR

To me even if that weld was right that is a pretty f-up design. Looking at your video you provided that seems like a lot of torque for such a small area. You can see when they turn the wheel how it pulls away from the frame.

originally posted by: Tarzan the apeman.
a reply to: BigDave-AR

To me even if that weld was right that is a pretty f-up design. Looking at your video you provided that seems like a lot of torque for such a small area. You can see when they turn the wheel how it pulls away from the frame.

If it wasn’t welded by a blind apprentice it would be plenty strong it’s a pretty chunky bracket but that does no good if you can’t even get a weld to begin to bite. Those welds look like they didn’t even have shielding gas, IMO mopar should have their balls sued off on this one, that’s not just “Monday car” defects that’s scary bad!

Remember folks friends don’t let friends drive mopar!!

Double trouble...

That just looks like bad engineering to me...

I'll admit I'm not overly impressed with Jeep anymore. My girl has one and it gives us more problems than my 18 year old Toyota Tacoma.

originally posted by: JAY1980
That just looks like bad engineering to me...

I'll admit I'm not overly impressed with Jeep anymore. My girl has one and it gives us more problems than my 18 year old Toyota Tacoma.

That’s just not fair comparing a Taco’ to a Jeep!

Look at ALL the welds in the area! Porosity/spatter/bird droppings everywhere. The spring tower, and frame joint just rear of the cross tube, both look barely attached.

Absolutely no excuse for new factory production. Even the junk of the 70's and 80's at least had the frames welded right.

originally posted by: gb540
Look at ALL the welds in the area! Porosity/spatter/bird droppings everywhere. The spring tower, and frame joint just rear of the cross tube, both look barely attached.

Absolutely no excuse for new factory production. Even the junk of the 70's and 80's at least had the frames welded right.

Pin holes you could drive a freightliner through, you wouldn’t pay me to drive that thing! It’s truly sad that FCA has gone downhill so far frame welds are the last thing you should have to worry about.

1 - are the jeep chassis - machine or manual welded ?

2 - what the holly hell were QC doing during this time ?

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
1 - are the jeep chassis - machine or manual welded ?

2 - what the holly hell were QC doing during this time ?

I’m not sure about whether it was machine welded or freehand, some of it looks like it might be but then others the weld isn’t even straight and looks more like a blind apprentice’s first welds. My main issue is that it made it through not only QC but the rest of the line, the workers bolting on the suspension components should have seen the shockingly awful welds and flagged them for rework, it’s very telling that they made it to the end of the line and FCA is saying they think there’s only “720” vehicles effected, I’m suspicious of those claim as I have a feeling they’re minimizing as much as possible. Also it makes me wonder what their definition of an acceptable weld is, because for example that weld around the round cross member may be good enough by their standards but it sure doesn’t meet mine with those huge pin holes.

Its not always the welders fault. The engineer makes the plans for the stuff the welder has to build. And sometimes the welder is robotic. All you can do is check with the dealer, maybe get a free car out of it.

originally posted by: JourneymanWelder
Its not always the welders fault. The engineer makes the plans for the stuff the welder has to build. And sometimes the welder is robotic. All you can do is check with the dealer, maybe get a free car out of it.

Really? Look at those welds and tell me that’s engineering? The only way that poor of weld could be caused by bad engineeering is if the metals were incompatible with each other and/or the rod/wire the welder/robot is using, and in that case it still comes down to the welder seeing something isn’t right and correcting the issue or QA flagging it. Not to mention every other worker that bolted anything onto that frame should have put up a red flag the fact that 700+ of them made it off the line like that shows serious systemic issues in their production line. If it was an engineering problem more of the vehicles would have the issue this is plain terrible workmanship along with utter incompetence in the QA department and is unacceptable.