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Would not start - starter failure?

12K views 18 replies 5 participants last post by  JeepCares  
#1 ·
Hello
This morning my 2018 Renegade would not start. 32,000 miles. It would crank, you could hear it try. Not click, but actual crank. Then it would putter out. Over the course of ten minutes or so I pushed the button six or seven times, and finally it caught and started, running like normal. There was never any light dimming, radio and all electronics worked fine. No specific error message or light, they all stayed lit up. I drove it around the block, came back to the house, turned it off and sat for a minute. Tried again, started just like normal, drove to work.

Fast forward to lunch, I drove down to a Jeep dealer near work. They couldn't look at it for four hours, or more likely the next day. Did not have a loaner vehicle or the ability to take me back to work. They wouldn't even plug in a code reader to see if anything was flagged in the computer. I drove across the street to Autozone and had them hook their tester up to the battery. Battery check ok, alternator check ok, starter failed check, reported 270 amp draw. I know what all those components are, but not enough to know if 270 amp draw is excessive for a starter.

I ended up calling my Jeep dealer near my house and dropping it off this afternoon. I was hoping somebody could give me some insight into the reliability of autozones test and any other thoughts on this issue.

Thanks!!
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Yeah, I saw that one myself. However the caveat to that statment was its generality. The amount of amps under load for a Honda Civic will be much different than an F150. I was looking to see if anybody had specifics about the 2.4l v4 in the Renegade.

Regardless, two seperate Autozone locations tested the starter as a failure point, now just waiting to hear back from dealer service. I have 2800 miles left on the warranty, I am not letting that thing out of the shop until they can prove the starter is either fixed\replaced.

And ironically as I am writing this the dealer calls....
"We started it a couple of times, we cannot duplicate the issue."
I explained everything again, requested a starter diagnoistic or load test.
"Thats not standard, we have no know issues with the starter on this model."
Do the load test, I am not picking it up because you started it three times and it worked ok.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Hello Trayal,
We are certainly sorry to hear about your recent concern. Please keep us updated on your dealer diagnosis. Keeping this in mind, if you need additional assistance throughout this process, please do not hesitate reaching out to our team. We're happy to help.
Laura
JeepCares
Thank you. I picked it up this afternoon. The dealer could not duplicate the problem. They also would not plug in the computer to check for error codes. I did get a recepit stating they inspected it for the issue at my current mileage. I was not impressed with their service, but I do not feel if I had left there any longer would have made a difference. I am reaching out to another dealer in the area to see if I stop by in the next couple of days if they will at least plug in the computer to check for an error code.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
SO......this morning I go out to go to work, it starts on first try but it is R O U G H !!! I let it run for a couple of minutes, it smooths out. Get halfway to work and check engine light comes on. I went on ahead and dropped it at a dealer near work. They immediatley plug it in to the computer and it comes back with a misfire code. They STILL say they cannot do anything except clear the code unless they see it start rough like I have. They are keeping it overnight to try and start it in the morning to duplicate my issue. SUPER FRUSTRATED with the service I am getting, I dont understand how if they have an error code they cannot start investigating this issue immediatley. I NEVER had this expierence with Ford or Toyota, they were always very invested in keeping customers happy and returning. Right now I am of the opinion that whenever this vehicle is done I wont be getting another Jeep. Which really upsets me, I always wanted Jeeps growing up....
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
UPDATE - Got the call from the "new" dealer and they discovered the issue. They say that the BRICK is damaged, as a result during the start up sequence there is no oil pressure getting to the engine, hence the bad starts. Once it DOES start it runs rough because oil has been built up by repeated start attempts. They say the brick must be replaced. Covered under warranty.

I was at first suspicious of this answer, if only because the tech I spoke with sounded like he was just throwing words out into the ether in order to tech-talk me quiet. The only thing that gives me pause is that he told me the brick costs $2800. I cannot imagine they would replace that part if they were not sure, since they have to cover under warranty.....
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Has anybody else heard of this issue? I have read all the complaints about oil burning, which I have not expierenced, but a Google of this issue provided nothing substantial....