Report: Jeep still struggling to fine-tuned ZF nine-speed auto in Jeep Cherokee

The new generation Jeep Cherokee, which debuted in 2014, has had a troubled start since its launch last year.

One of the issues it had when launching the new crossover involved its new ZF-sourced nine-speed automatic, where Chrysler had problems tuning the transmission to match the power bands of the Fiat-sourced turbocharged four-cylinders. For some time, it was thought Chrysler solved the issue and they began shipping cars to customers. But the issue wasn’t fixed entirely and Fiat-Chrysler started getting bombarded with customer complaints.

Chrysler issued some service bulletins, offering up software updates, but it seems those haven’t remedied the issue.

“We have had to do an inordinate amount of intervention on that transmission, surely beyond what any of us had forecast,” Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles’ Sergio Marchionne said to AutomotiveNews, in a recent interview. “There are things that we have done – that we continue to do. Our proactive customer care intervention has actually increased in intensity on these vehicles in 2014, especially in the second half.”

According to Marchionne, the issue lies within Chrysler’s confines, rather than it being a ZF-based issue and the current software wasn’t “mature” enough, incurring “teething problems” with the gears.

Source: AutomotiveNews

Chris Chin

Chris Chin is the Editor-In-Chief of egmCarTech and is a regular contributor to Automobile Magazine.

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