Severe problem towing 2014 Jeep Cherokee

[Twoflyrodders]

I have a 2014 Latitude V6 with Active Drive II. While towing behind my motorhome on a 5000 mile trip last summer I experienced a severe side to side shaking in the front wheels of the Jeep about 7 times. Extremely intermittent, and difficult to diagnose at first (is it motorhome, towing setup, or the Jeep itself causing this?). Lots of moving parts here, but I am closing in on the answer.
The shaking is severe. I can feel it A LOT way up in the front of the motorhome. First time I thought the drive axle in the motorhome had come loose from the frame on one side! When it happens I stop immediately, of course, and inspect everything. Nothing appears wrong. This seems to occur when one of the front wheels on the Jeep goes over some raised area in the road (once when I took a tight right turn and the Jeep went over a curb, once after going over some white 1" high markers in the road) or perhaps a rutted place (once railroad tracks at an angle), but it is so intermittent it's hard to be sure of the cause, and I cannot reproduce it. It does seem to happen at lower speeds, seldom over 35MPH thank goodness.
At considerable expense I've had the motorhome thoroughly checked (first thought was it was the bushings in the track bar) and there is no problem there. I've replaced the tow bar and checked the geometry - no problem there. New tires and balance on the Jeep. Still no help.
Now I find I'm not alone. Another person wrote to a motorhoming magazine and he has had the same thing occurring. I suspect there are more to come. I'd like to hear from anyone else with this problem on a new Cherokee.
Now, what's going on? Could this be related to the half shaft problems or other front steering things showing up on the new Cherokees? These vehicles have independent front suspensions so there is not way to put a steering stabilizer on them. Mine drives perfectly - no shake shimmy or anything EXCEPT this potentially dangerous thing when towing.
Anybody have ideas? Jeep dealers say they have to be able to reproduce the problem - and I don't want to take them on a 1000 mile or so test ride....

[afrescopXx]

Charge line from Motorhome to car.

[dleslie125]

Wiring kit was installed today. Took dealer about 5 hours (their first one). NO CHARGE. Installation appears very neat and it won't be difficult to use - just have to remember two more steps when connecting and disconnecting. FCA recommends providing power to the battery if towing for more than 3 hours.

So, next job is to get a power source. Any advice and recommendations welcome.

Don

[Gottahaveit]

We purchased a 2015 Jeep GC Limited in March 2015. We have towed it approx. 5,000 without a problem.

[MaverickBBD]

dleslie125 wrote:
Hmm. Looking at this entire thread now (my Cherokee delivered in Nov 2013 gets the wiring harness on Wednesday) it seems to me that the experts like et2 sure disappeared or went silent when all of their comments proved to be totally incorrect.

Amazing

[dleslie125]

Hmm. Looking at this entire thread now (my Cherokee delivered in Nov 2013 gets the wiring harness on Wednesday) it seems to me that the experts like et2 sure disappeared or went silent when all of their comments proved to be totally incorrect.

[j-d]

I wish I could guess why FCA/Jeep decided to do this. Two thoughts come to mind:

1. They actually wanted to preserve the good will they have enjoyed in the RV community for years. Decades probably. The JEEP name is a Big Deal, probably the only reason Former Chrysler wanted AMC. They got rid of the cars in short order.

or..

2. This thing got classified as a Safety Issue...

I hope one day before too long, we get an update from the OP on this.

[Edward_Jones-Do]

I got the recall notice and had the new harness installed today. I'm a bit surprised that Jeep is doing this for free- it consists of whatever the harness is, a switch mounted in the center console, and a line with a removable fuse under the hood. It took the dealer about 3 hours to complete. It could easily have been sold as an after-sale package for only those that want to flat tow.
The procedure is to set the transfer case to neutral, put the fuse in the line and throw the switch. After towing you pull the fuse to prevent battery drain.
I'm having it rigged to tow this week at CW. I'm tempted to try it with and without the modification to see it it really is a problem.

[j-d]

Is there an update on the outcome of this?

[Twoflyrodders]

FCA has announced the fix for the wobble problem. It involves a wiring harness which will keep the electric steering assist motor operating while towing. Those wishing to have it installed should contact Jeep Customer Care.

[Tree_House]

I just talked to Jeep Customer Care after seeing the article in the FMCA magazine.

There is a technical service bulletin on it. I was told they expected the parts to be available in late February.

It only happened on bad roads, so it's not surprising that not everyone had it. We first experienced it after a year of towing on bad roads in northern Maine and Nova Scotia.

My husband figured the problem was the steering wheel not tracking, and has been bungee cording it to the seat. No problems since, but then it was intermitant so who knows.

[Dennis4809]

Help should be available as soon as Jan 29th. A jumper to keep power to the power steering and new instructions in the owners manual.

http://community.fmca.com/topic/8903-important-towing-information-2014-2016-jeep-cherokee

[j-d]

I'm more optimistic, reading a credible editor quoting FCA's responses.

Many modern, high performance aircraft can't stay in flight without their computers tweaking their trim faster than a human can. Seems our cars are approaching the same condition.

[webslave]

Here's the link I saw from the FMCA site:

FMCA information for Cherokee owners

No timetable ( firm) that I've seen.

[lryrob9301]

Dennis4809 wrote:
Thanks to Twoflyrodders, Jeep has admitted the problem is the electric power steering and developed a fix. Will be available soon. For those that have experienced the problem, consider your selves lucky.

I'm sorry but I must have missed the post where Jeep admitted there was a problem and stated they would develop a fix and make it available soon. Could you please direct me to Fiat-Chrysler's or NHTSA's statement acknowledging this condition.