Jeep Grand Cherokee And Dodge Durango ABS Malfunction

In October 2021, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance (TSRC) opened an investigation into certain Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles because of warranty claims from customers experiencing brake lights continually staying on. Further investigation into the problem led the FCA to other warranty records that showed certain Dodge Durango vehicles were also experiencing the same issue.

The FCA met with FCA engineering to investigate the problem and to determine the suspect population of vehicles affected. Through warranty claims and vehicle production records, they have identified that the suspect period began on June 10, 2018, when the defective HCU/ABS modules were introduced into vehicle production, and ended on April 30, 2019, when the suspect parts were no longer used in vehicle production. The FCA has identified 150 customer assistance records, 216 warranty claims, and 29 field reports potentially relating to this issue.

According to the defect report, some 2018-2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2018-2019 Dodge Durango vehicles may have been manufactured with HCU / ABS modules that falsely reads pressure in the primary circuit. The false reading could illuminate the brake lights, as well as allow the vehicle to start and shift out of park without the brake pedal being depressed. A vehicle that is able to start and shift out of park without depressing the brake pedal could result in unintended vehicle movement and an increased chance of an accident.

There is no prior indication that a vehicle has this problem, however, after the failure occurs, a dash light may illuminate, and/or the driver may notice brake lights staying on after parking/turning off the vehicle.

The FCA is still working on a remedy to fix the problem. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on July 29, 2022. FCA US, FCA's number for this recall is Z48 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-426.