FCA may be battling a software issue with the Jeep Renegade and its nine-speed transmission.
Fiat Chrysler may be battling a new software bug with its Jeep Renegade …and it may have CEO Sergio Marchionne experiencing a case of deja vu.
Marchionne told multiple media outlets earlier this week implied there is a problem and implied it is related to the automaker’s problematic nine-speed transmission it sources from ZF.
The same transmission that caused the automaker to delay the introduction of the Jeep Cherokee as the automaker attempted to recalibrate it to improve the ride quality.
“I’m having a very bad engineering day,” said Marchionne, during an event on Tuesday, Automotive News reported. “It’s a combination of attributes of that vehicle that is making my life horrible.”
FCA officials declined to comment on the the possibility of a software glitch with the subcompact SUV.
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Marchionne said the problems he’s dealing with were similar to those that delayed the Cherokee. The Renegade is produced in Italy and went on sale at the end of March. There have been more than 5,100 Renegades sold in the U.S. through April.
(Click Here for details about TDB’s first drive in the 2015 Jeep Renegade.)
That transmission is mated to the maker’s 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder engine capable of delivering 180 horsepower. The Renegade powered by the 1.4-liter Multi-Air turbo four-cylinder with manual six speed can produce 160 horsepower and 184 foot pounds of torque.
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Two owners have submitted complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the subcompact SUV’s transmission. Marchionne said he expected the software problems to be resolved by the middle of next month.