[Thumper73]

I just purchased this on Black Friday! I noticed at highway speeds of 65 and up it stays in 7th gear unless we shift manually to 8th. For 9th gear to work you have to be going fast. Shift it manually works but it won’t shift into 8th on its own? Took it to a dealer and they told us the transmission is learning our driving style. Anyone have advice on this? Thanks for any help!

 

[DynoDave]

Welcome aboard Thumper73!

I've only seen my Renegade shift to 9th on it's own once. And that was at a lower speed, maybe 60 or 65. I believe at higher speeds the wind drag becomes too great for the engine to lug along in 9th. Just my opinion.

 

[dgr401]

The Renegade does take a few miles to learn your driving style. When I first got my Latitude it would shift into 8th at around 65 mph and 9th around 73 mph. The shifting for 8th and 9th have changed over the years and now it will shift into 8th right around 60 mph and 9th around 70 mph. I have driven as low as 54 mph in 8th but the Renegade doesn't like it. The other gear shifting is pretty much the same as when new. My Renegade goes into 9th easier and drives much better than it originally did. Hills and 9th gear aren't friends though. You should notice a differance after driving it for a while. We put about 500 miles on ours within 2-3 days after purchase and I think that helped. Welcome to the forum by the way and enjoy your new Renegade. You will find a lot of great info here.

 

[dgr401]

Also, The Renegade will shift into higher gears at a higher speed when shifting manually as opposed to shifting in auto. For example when I shift into 6th manually I need to be going about 42mph. In auto it will shift to 6th at about 38-39 mph.

 

[ed6698]

I have taken a few 250 mile road trips in my Renegade on the highway at around 65mph. Almost all of the time it was shifting into 8th gear no problem, never touched 9th that I noticed at least, but it is a semi hilly drive so I doubt that it did. The last trip I just took however was very windy outside and driving into the wind almost the entire ride, it hardly ever shifted into 8th this last trip. Only reason I noticed it was due to seeing the rpm slightly higher then normal, so I would look to see what gear it was in by moving into manual, it was pretty much staying in 7th gear the whole trip. I would shift it into 8th manually, but going into the wind it kept shifting back to 7th when I went into automatic. Hurt my gas mileage also, I normally would show around 29 to 33 mpg, however running mostly in 7th it only topped out at 26mpg.

 

[dgr401]

The Renegade is like a brick with wheels at times, strong headwinds and Renegades don't mix very well.

 

[Thumper73]

Thanks for all the replies!! It goes into 7th and just never seems to shift to 8th on its own at all. No matter if it’s flat or whatever. We just bought it a week ago today but my girl drives a lot of miles and it alread has over 500 and still not shifting unless we do it in manual.

 

[IDoMy0wnRacing]

W E L C O M E ! ! ! to the forum.

It will get there. My Trailhawk will go into 9th when there is NO load at cruise. Flat terrain with no head wind or even a slight down grade. but it will use it when it can.

 

[Thumper73]

I took it to the dealer and they had me go on a ride along. The tech would set the cruise at 60 and the Rene would shift into 8th. If you set it at 62 and up... no matter how fast it never shifts to 8th or 9th. I am very bothered by this but the tech says that’s how these transmissions work. It bothers me so much I wish I would of bought something else!

 

[IDoMy0wnRacing]

... It bothers me so much I wish I would of bought something else!

You shouldn't let it bother you that much. The Renegade is going to chose the gear that will get you the best fuel economy.
The Jeep is still learning your driving style. Give it at least 7500 miles before you give up on it. It is still braking-in.

 

[DynoDave]

I took it to the dealer and they had me go on a ride along. The tech would set the cruise at 60 and the Rene would shift into 8th. If you set it at 62 and up... no matter how fast it never shifts to 8th or 9th. I am very bothered by this but the tech says that’s how these transmissions work. It bothers me so much I wish I would of bought something else!

That's pretty much how mine works. I'm good with it. It's doign what it needs to for the conditions available.

 

[Thumper73]

That's pretty much how mine works. I'm good with it. It's doign what it needs to for the conditions available.

I just wonder why on some people’s posts I read there’s goes into 8th a lot and even ninth at times. Mine never gets to 9th gear and most of the time doesn’t shift to 8th either.

 

[18Rene]

I just wonder why on some people’s posts I read there’s goes into 8th a lot and even ninth at times. Mine never gets to 9th gear and most of the time doesn’t shift to 8th either.

Lots of variables. Mine can frequently or hardly use 8th depending on the situation. Any type of driving in windy conditions and it prefers 7th. If you manually force it to 8th and watch your instantaneous mpg you will realize 7th is probably best for both mpg and performance. I have owned mine since 11/2018 and it has NEVER used 9th on its own. And probably never will, unless I can find a long stretch of down-hill highway. At higher speeds where 9th can be used will cause so much drag it will then stay in 8th or 7th. Those that say theirs use 9th regularly must have long stretches of downhill driving, drive in a vacuum chamber, or have Trailhawks...

 

[dgr401]

Shifting ranges change as you put mileage on the Renegade, at least it has for me. Not the lower gears, they are the same as far as I can tell, but 8th and 9th shift earlier by 4-5 mph than when new.

 

[Mud Pie]

My 2017 Latitude 2.4 auto-shifts into 9th quite regularly only if conditions are ideal. Fortunately where I live (Texas), has a LOT of flat straight roads and my daily commute can sometimes be 100+ miles a day. And, I have to maintain a rock steady throttle above 67 mph for 9th gear to come out and play. Press the pedal the slightest bit will drop it back into 8th, it thinks you're getting ready for a maneuver. 9th gear is the spoiled kid of gears; it only plays when everything is juuuust the way it likes it.

If you live in a hilly area, windy area, constantly blip the throttle, change lanes a lot, lots of traffic, yeah, you'll never see 9th.

 

[stormcom]

I have the same issues. I currently have it in the dealership with a zone rep coming to look. It is a real issue. I live in the flat lands of North Texas and can only go into 8th manually and never 9th. See my other posts for details.

 

[stormcom]

I think the 2.4 engine does not have the issue. I have 2 2021 1.3 turbo and both of them do it. I have a limited and an anniversary. I live in Wichita Falls and my wife's car never goes over 60 and mine goes all over the place at 75 and the adaptive cruise. If I could have gotten the 2.4, I would have. Looked at the 2022 model but can't get luxury package.