Jeep Wrangler Recalled Over Extra Frame Stud
Jeep has issued a recall encompassing roughly 58,000 examples of the 2020-2023 Wrangler. Problem vehicles described in the relevant NHTSA documents were reportedly constructed with a frame stud that's allegedly superfluous and that can cause fires in the event of a crash. It’s kind of a weird recall campaign, as they typically don’t involve a vehicle having too many parts but rather totally absent or poorly implemented ones.
Affected Jeeps are said to have been built between October 2019 and May 2022. However, models suffering from the defect are only estimated to represent about 58 percent of the 57,885 units the manufacturer is worried about.
Based on the safety report, Jeep elected to begin installing an “unnecessary” frame stud into Wrangler vehicles starting late in 2019. It seems as though that supposedly pointless piece of metal can puncture the fuel tank in a wreck, allowing it to spray out of the vehicle and dramatically increase the likelihood of fire.
The automaker seems to have caught wind of there being an issue in June of 2022 when FCA’s Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance (TSRC) organization opened an investigation into the matter. Jeep has said there have been no customer assistance records, warranty claims, or field reports related to this issue in any market. There have also been no known deaths or injuries.
It’s wholly unclear why Jeep would start adding random studs to the fame, making us wonder if there’s more to this story. But it’s a pretty goofy screw-up. At least there’s already a fix in place. Owners of affected Wrangles will need to visit an authorized dealer so that a technician can bang out the stud and paint over the hole free of charge. Easy-peasy.
If you’re thinking you might be impacted by this, the assigned recall number is 23V-191. Interested parties can also go to the NHTSA website and input their vehicle identification number (VIN) or contact Jeep at 1-800-853-1403.
[Image: Jeep]
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A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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vice grips, bend, then wiggle and snap or leave bent.
"Owners of affected Wrangles"
Does a missing "r" cancel an extra stud?