zara4384 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 We just got our 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk back from getting the wire harness installed. Little to say, I am very angry with the dealer and Jeep. I now have to take six additional steps to tow it. If you make a mistake while doing it, it will cause system faults, which take time and more steps to clear. It may take several step to clear some of the system faults. I did find information on the notice from Jeep to make them pay for it, so it was done without any out of pocket funds, but this is ridiculous to have to do so much to tow it when they stated all you have to do is pus a button. Aaaarrrrrgggghhh! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NanMWright Report post Posted May 26, 2018 Herman, Wolfe and all, I've been following this thread because I'm considering flat-towing my older 2003 Grand Cherokee behind my Class C. The Cherokee is my vehicle of choice because it's in good condition and it's paid for! Am I likely to have the same problems with my older Cherokee that you folks are having with the newer 2014-2018 editions? Also, any suggestions about the absolute quality I might need for the Jeep's weight. Prices for the tow parts range from $1800 (Blue Ox) down to $300 (Walmart). I'm cheap, but I don't want to under-build. Thanks....Nan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted May 26, 2018 It is just IMHO your Jeep should be alright. I would go with a quality Tow Bar and Base Plates, not something with just a lower price. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NanMWright Report post Posted May 26, 2018 .....I figured any reasonable person would opt for quality over price...but I had to try. Good to hear from you... Nan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingfr Report post Posted May 26, 2018 You should have no problems with the 2003 Grand Cherokee, assuming it is 4 Wheel Drive, with a neutral position in the Transfer Case. If it isn't 4X4, then it isn't towable 4 down. Also, be sure that your class C can tow a vehicle that weighs what the GC weighs. Around 4,000 - 4500 lbs more or less. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NanMWright Report post Posted May 26, 2018 Right. I'm at 4100 lbs with 4x4 and an appropriate transfer case. The manual says the GC can be towed and gives specific directions on how to set the neutral position. I had overlooked the question of how much my Class C can tow....thanks for the reminder. Also, when I researcht tow bar and base plates...I keep getting routed to Blue Ox and other companies that sell top of the line equipment that can tow 6,000 lbs at 65 mph. I tootle around the desert at 55-60 mph and my GC weighs less. I don't want to minimize on safety, but I'm not sure I need to buy top of the line towing equipment. Nan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingfr Report post Posted May 26, 2018 Don't be a penny wise and a pound foolish. The Blue Ox Tow bars, as well as other "High end" tow bars, are also much easier to connect than some of the cheaper units. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NanMWright Report post Posted May 26, 2018 OK. My mechanic thanks you. And I'm always happier with high end equipment, except when I have to pay the bill. Nan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 27, 2018 Nan, I feel your pain. I found a used blue ox tow bar and Break buddy from some people who had sold their coach and were no longer able to travel. I had Blue ox go through/refurbish and inspect the tow bar at the first Rally I went to. I think it was about $30.00. I would recommend to get a 10,000# rated tow bar as you can tow a heavier toad if you change toads and you won't need to buy a different tow bar + a little extra capacity never hurt on the safety side. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zara4384 Report post Posted June 13, 2018 Okay folks, here it is. Just did a trip to Boise from Sacramento after having the new electrical harness installed. We had no wobble problems, but I screwed up unhooking the car from the motorhome, now I have three codes to take care of. One is the engine light, the second is the steering light, and the last is the four wheel drive light. I called the dealer and they said to disconnect the battery and leave a door open all night to drain all power. It didn't work. This is total BS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pete5016 Report post Posted July 19, 2018 We just bought a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. Does anyone know if this new 2019 requires the wiring harness update for flat towing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted July 19, 2018 pete5016. Welcome to the Forum! It has been posted...NO! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outofourrut Report post Posted July 25, 2018 Help! Does anyone know what part numbers or have link to Jeep schematic where the weld fails. We have a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. Two years ago we experienced death wobble in two instances. Had the harness kit installed and haven’t had another wobble incident, yeah, extra steps but no big deal there. Big deal is that we are now in limbo mode as we discovered that the aluminum frame welds have failed. It would appear that the initial wobbles eventually developed into a failure after two years of towing with harness fix in place. As full timers we are just hanging out while the local body shop (referred to by Jeep dealer in complex) tries to figure out what part number to replace this. He can’t find diagrams that show this section. We don’t have a “home” Jeep dealer, and it took a while explaining to body shop guy that yes, it is normal to have baseplate up front for four down towing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kandmcronk Report post Posted July 26, 2018 Hello Part of the instructions to start towing once this wiring harness is installed is to wait for bus (Jeep's brain) to stop (indicated by cluster – lights & gauges – turning off). Is this just the center screen or both the center screen and the dash in front of the steering wheel? It seems to take a long time for the dash light to completely go out. Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted July 26, 2018 Outofourrut. Welcome to the Forum! What part of the welds have failed, is it between the firewall and front of engine? If so, you need a chassis shop, not a Jeep shop! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popeyeisme Report post Posted August 10, 2018 I have had the Roadmaster InvisiBrake installed in my just purchased 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD. I had a RV repair facility in North Jersey. that installed it supply a battery charge line for the Jeep. I needed the RV coach running lights or headlights on for the brake to work. When I made a slow right and /or left turn I experienced the wobble and it stopped when I applied the brake. Thank God they were slow turns make from a stop light.Then about 10 or 15 minutes later the InvisiBrake failed to respond, I stopped and checked the connections and they were intact. I reset the Jeep and continued on my trip and again after 10 or 15 minutes the Invisibrake failed to respond. This continued to happen until we arrived home. I dropped the RV and the Jeep back to the shop and after a day of testing they had to order a Roadmaster stop light switch (Roadmaster part number751449)cost $59.50. they said that Jeep Grand Cherikees with push button ignition instead of a turnkey ignition after a period of time shuts all the power off in the jeep thereby shutting off the InvisiBrake system. After a day they received the part and two more hour worth of installing and testing it now works fine. I was not able to find any documentation by Jeep or Rooadmaster of the need for this Roadmaster stop light switch. My Jeep dealer could not find and information about the wiring harness. Lenny Hennig Teaneck New Jersey 2014 Thor Tuscany 45MT 450 Cummins, Freightliner Chassis 2017 jeep Grand Cherokee LTD . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnston Report post Posted August 21, 2018 On 8/10/2018 at 3:07 PM, popeyeisme said: I have had the Roadmaster InvisiBrake installed in my just purchased 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD. I had a RV repair facility in North Jersey. that installed it supply a battery charge line for the Jeep. I needed the RV coach running lights or headlights on for the brake to work. When I made a slow right and /or left turn I experienced the wobble and it stopped when I applied the brake. Thank God they were slow turns make from a stop light.Then about 10 or 15 minutes later the InvisiBrake failed to respond, I stopped and checked the connections and they were intact. I reset the Jeep and continued on my trip and again after 10 or 15 minutes the Invisibrake failed to respond. This continued to happen until we arrived home. I dropped the RV and the Jeep back to the shop and after a day of testing they had to order a Roadmaster stop light switch (Roadmaster part number751449)cost $59.50. they said that Jeep Grand Cherikees with push button ignition instead of a turnkey ignition after a period of time shuts all the power off in the jeep thereby shutting off the InvisiBrake system. After a day they received the part and two more hour worth of installing and testing it now works fine. I was not able to find any documentation by Jeep or Rooadmaster of the need for this Roadmaster stop light switch. My Jeep dealer could not find and information about the wiring harness. Lenny Hennig Teaneck New Jersey 2014 Thor Tuscany 45MT 450 Cummins, Freightliner Chassis 2017 jeep Grand Cherokee LTD . Lenny, the wiring harness was developed for the Jeep Cherokee, not the Grand Cherokee. I compiled a list of Grand Cherokee owners who have experienced the wobble, and sent it to Fiat Chrysler. If you'd like me to add you to the list, email me at jjohnston@fmca.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mypopslou Report post Posted August 21, 2018 I have a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee and had my tow bar set up by a Mechanic at the dealership where I bought the Jeep. He install a separate power line from battery for my Brake Buddy. He told me that all power in my Jeep is completely off when I tow it so I have not had any issues with any type of wobble, to quote him he told me I am towing a brick, it is completely shut off. I have a push button start and my only concern was after a long day towing when i disconnect my brake buddy the brake pedal is hard to push down, which you need to do to start the Jeep. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brian.arbuckle Report post Posted September 17, 2018 On 1/19/2018 at 1:40 PM, C4fdr said: Who has had the problem with front wheel wobble due to the change to an electric steering on 2014-2018 Jeep Cherokee's with the Active Drive II option and had to have the Jeep front tow harness kit installed (kit instructions PDF on this post) on their Jeep Cherokee. Yes and Jeep does not volunteer this info. You have to tell them you had a swaying issue yet this is a serious safety problem. It should be a recall.On top of it all, they no longer pay to modify their problem. Cost me 800 dollars today to have both switches installed. You gotta love Jeep Chrysler forbtheir concern. Have a look at the towables list and description. No mention of owners havying to shell out like this. None of the competitors require. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DWhitesell Report post Posted September 18, 2018 Bought a 2014 Jeep Cherokee earlier this year with intentions of flat towing it. Dealer was aware of intended use. Found out on our own that an accessory kit part #6832142AA is required to avoid the "death wobble" that we have read about since researching how to tow the vehicle. Have contacted several (six or more) people on the phone at FCA and all have no knowledge of what I am talking about. I refer them to the part number and even service bulletin 08-022-16, and even had one of them tell me that it was referring to the vehicle being towed behind a tow truck. These people have been no help at all. I just sent a letter to Jeep customer service to see if there is any help there with the costs associated with the part or installation since they are aware they have a problem and created this part and do not make it readily known that such a thing exists. Anyone had better luck? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted September 18, 2018 Welcome to the forum. Have you talked to John Johnston? jjohnston@fmca.com Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DWhitesell Report post Posted September 29, 2018 I will give that a try---thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ssohles Report post Posted November 22, 2018 The Mopar Flat Tow harness was installed on our 2014 cherokee by our local Jeep deal in 2016. We towed without any "wobble" until this Fall when the Cherokee trashed wildly and damaged the tow bar. An investigation discovered that that our power steering was actually not on when flat tow was set. A simple test (turning the wheel) could have revealed that earlier, but was not part of the Mopar instructions. The two dealers who checked the system were unaware also. It seems so obvious now, but we had presumed the kit was working properly and never thought to try to test it. FCC had the harness replaced under warranty and it has been working properly for several weeks now. If you are not already, do this test before towing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayin Report post Posted November 22, 2018 On 5/26/2018 at 3:48 PM, NanMWright said: OK. My mechanic thanks you. And I'm always happier with high end equipment, except when I have to pay the bill. Nan It''s my understanding this 'death wobble" thing only happens to Jeep products with electric power steering, if yours has hydraulic power steering that wobble does not happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
app45lewood Report post Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) On 2/8/2018 at 9:44 AM, blakeloke said: I have a fundamental problem with the way Fiat/Chrysler has handled this issue. We have a '16 Grand Cherokee and don't have the death wobble issue so I'm not intimately familiar with the way the manufacturer has handled this. Here's how I understand it. Jeep sold these vehicles to customers stating that they are flat towable and the same is stated in the owner's manual. Many customers who had purchased the Cherokee claimed of the Death Wobble issue. Videos online support the claim. Jeep investigates the issue and agrees with the problem. Jeep's fix is that the customer is to purchase a wiring harness and have it installed at the owner's expense. Some dealers are not aware of the need to retro-fit and other dealers claim the harness is not available at this time. John's post above supports this statement. To me, enough is enough. I'm not a proponent of handling issues like this through the legal system but this certainly smells like a class action to me. Had I spent 10s of thousands of $$s on a vehicle that didn't perform as promised and it was a proven fact that many others had the same issue, I might have a case. Sorry for the rant......my two cents. Blake My 2014 cherokee equipped for flat tow has caused me trouble several times. Finally after at least 2 years my jeep dealer found a service bulletin #08-040-18 REV. B dated May 18th, 2018 ordered a powrer steering kit to turn power steering on while towing. Cost me $376 +. Submitted a claim to jeep. There went selling point for easy setting up. Someone is going to die before jeep decides to fix problem at their expense. This is disgusting. Edited October 2, 2019 by app45lewood Mispelled eords Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
