FCA Frame Weld Recall – Injecting Common Sense

There have been a ton of articles on the FCA USA recall for the JL track bar weld. Most of them are the end of the world pieces that just aren’t realistic. I don’t want to minimize checking if your JL is affected but simply stated the recall is a very small group of vehicles.

Recall

For those that haven’t seen the recall here it is. This recall affects around 18,000 vehicles and estimates are less than 720 of them need the weld repaired. That’s less than one month of JL sales that started in January. Again, this is a serious recall but for all the doom and gloom going around, it’s a drop in the bucket. The 4.8 million vehicles recalled for a cruise control issue was far more serious.

What to look for.

This video, which is on almost every article about the issue shows the track bar bracket completely disconnected from the frame.

Step one: Check the link below and see if your VIN is listed under the recall.

NHTSA Website

Step two: Inspect your weld immediately and if it looks suspect contact your dealer to get it inspected.

Here is our weld as an example:

We are not included in the recall VIN range and the weld looks to be solid and very well done.

The Wrap

We all love our Jeep’s but let’s not let this become a sky is falling moment for no reason. It has been a bit overly dramatic for what FCA and NHTSA estimate at around 700-800 vehicles.